


Guardian of Strength

by LionHeart000



Category: Guardians of Childhood & Related Fandoms, Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Adventure, Battle Scenes, Dramatic? At Some Points, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, Romance, Slow Burn, is it considered "major character death" when someone turns into a spirit? asking for a friend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:55:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 41,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23242867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LionHeart000/pseuds/LionHeart000
Summary: Autumn didn't expect to meet her best friend through neighborhood kid Jamie- her best friend being Jack Frost. Jack considered Autumn to be the strongest person he knew, and when something unexpected happens he needs her more than ever. Only, she doesn't remember who he is. Autumn must work with Jack to uncover her past and stand against a dark threat growing in the shadows.
Relationships: Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood)/Original Female Character(s), Jack Frost/OC
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, I started this in middle school (which was several years ago).  
> I'm continuing old fanfictions on the side to practice my writing and it's been really fun but that means the beginning chapters need a lot of improvement.  
> I am thinking of re-writing them when I have time but for now I'm just continuing from where I left off.  
> If you find this, I hope you get past that and end up enjoying this because I'm just getting into a groove with it!

CHAPTER 1

I walked down the cement sidewalk, occasionally slipping. The sidewalk was covered in snow and ice, making it smooth and slick. Not to mention freezing. I paused for a moment to wrap my jacket tighter around my torso and stuffed my hands in its front pockets. I could feel my teeth start to chatter from the shots of ice running up and down my spine. My short, brunette, unruly hair flowed in the wind around my face. My green eyes were slightly narrowed from the icy wind. I had been walking for a while now, and my legs were becoming weaker and weaker. I spotted a lonely bench up ahead and decided that I deserved to rest.

After increasing my pace, I finally plopped down on the wooden bench. It was cold and slightly wet from the snow, but at that moment I honestly didn't care. I pulled my hands from the bottom of my coat pockets, and rubbed them swiftly back and forth on my thighs, trying to warm them up. Of course, my legs didn't actually need this, since they had been numb for about two years now... But that's a story for another time. I sighed. Every second of every day I was reminded of that fateful night. Not fateful, that horrible night. I shook my head, trying to rid my mind of the memories. 'Be strong, be strong', I reminded myself. After a moment, I let out a shaky breath. I watched the fog from my breath drift in the air in front of my face. Suddenly, I heard the sound of laughter. I focused my vision on the other side of the street and saw several children playing in the snow. The sight instantly warmed my heart. I watched in contentment as the children threw snowballs at each other.

"Jamie! I'll race you to that tree!" One of the boys shouted. My breath caught in my throat. I could feel my smile falter as they ran to the tree. The movement of their legs through the air, the pounding of their feet on the ground; it reminded me of what I couldn't do. I slumped my back on the bench, my spirit instantly dropping. It was bringing up feelings I didn't like to face. I dropped my head forward and stared at my hands in my lap. I closed my eyes, letting out a shaky breath. I could feel the tears start to build, trying to break past the border of my lower lashes. There was no one around, and I couldn't remember the last time I had shed any sadness.

Crying doesn't make you weak, it only shows that you have been strong for too long.

With this thought in my head, repeating, I slowly let the tears fall. When the accident happened, I had heard someone say these words at one of the support groups I was made to go to. Though my characteristic stubbornness kept me from honoring this truth for a while, it eventually settled into my brain and I learned to live by them. No one should think that crying or showing sadness is weak. Out of breath, I inhaled, only to find it shaky from the tears. I wiped the layer of water from my cheeks, only for it to be replaced by a new coat. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jerked my eyes open and lifted my head. A young boy with brown hair, covered by his hat, was standing next to me, his face clouded with worry. I recognized him as the boy who was racing with his friend. Jamie, if I heard correctly. I quickly wiped the tears from my face and looked back at the young boy.

"Are you okay?" Jamie asked. I smiled, touched by his concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you for asking," I replied. He visibly loosened his muscles, a small smile forming.

"Oh, okay," he said. His smile faded a bit, his brows coming together. "Why were you crying?" He asked the question with such genuine worry that I couldn't help but smile a bit more. I shook my head.

"Nothing, really. Just some memories," I replied. He nodded his head as if he understood it was better to leave it alone.

"Oh. Well, I'm glad you're okay," he spoke, the smile coming back.

"Me too. Thank you for asking. What's your name?" The boy extended his hand.

"My name is Jamie. What's your's?" He asked, his eyes brightening. I shook his hand and straightened my back.

"Hello, Jamie, my name is Autumn. It's nice to meet you," I said, my smile growing. Jamie's smile grew to its full size, his eyes twinkling with innocence.

"Nice to meet you too. Do you want to play with me and my friends?" He asked, almost jumping up and down. I pulled my coat sleeve back just enough to look at my watch.

"Sure, I have plenty of time," I said, pushing my sleeve back over my watch and standing up. The thought of playing in the snow with a group of carefree children sounded like the kind of thing that could completely cleanse any of the ruminations I had let myself soak in.

"Awesome! I'll introduce you to my friends." He grabbed my gloved hand and pulled me gently across the street towards the other children. I pushed a loose brunette tendril behind my ear. The kids seemed to be in the beginnings of another snowball fight. Jamie stopped at the edge of the small snow-covered field they were playing in. Most of his friends stopped playing and were now looking at me.

"Guys, this is Autumn. She is really nice, and she's going to play with us!" He said happily. Most of the kids waved, or shouted a 'Hello Autumn'. Jamie pulled me towards a small wall made out of snow. We stopped behind it.

"Ready?" He asked, handing me a snowball. I smiled.

"Ready," I replied. Suddenly, showers of snowballs were flying everywhere. I laughed heartily as I threw snowballs at our opponents. I couldn't remember the last time I felt this carefree. I could feel the edges of my eyes and the tops of my cheeks strain from smiling so much. Flecks of snow littered my spunky hair and coated my eyelashes, giving the edges of my vision a light haze. Out of nowhere, a snowball hit me directly in the back of my head. My hand quickly grabbed the back of my head as I whipped my head around to see the culprit who threw the snowball. There weren't any kids behind my and Jamie's fort. I narrowed my eyes, although a smile stayed planted on my face.

"Who threw that?" I said, looking back and forth.

"Oh, that was Jack," Jamie said after throwing another snowball. I looked around for this so-called 'Jack' kid. I assumed it was just one of Jamie's friends, but probably just a little shyer than the others.

"Where is he?" I turned back and forth, still looking for the target of my next snowball. Jamie slumped to the ground, his back against the snow fort. He faced me.

"He's right there," he said, pointing about 5 feet away. I looked from Jamie to the empty spot of air, and back.

"Jamie, I don't see anything." I looked closer at the spot Jamie pointed to, trying to see if I missed something.

"Yeah, not everyone can see him," Jamie replied, a small bit of sadness in his voice. I assumed that Jack was Jamie's imaginary friend.

"Oh, that's too bad. I bet he's really nice," I said, putting a hand lightly on Jamie's shoulder. Jamie instantly brightened his expression.

"Yeah, he is. He is really fun, too. You know, he was the one who saw you on the bench crying," Jamie said while preparing another snowball.

"Was he now?" I asked. I found it adorable that Jamie had an imaginary friend. Jamie nodded.

"Yup. He told me to invite you to play. He loves the snow. He's actually the spirit of winter," he said, throwing the newly made snowball towards the forts across the small field.

"He is?" I raised my eyebrow. I was a bit impressed this young boy thought of something as creative as the Spirit of Winter to be an imaginary friend. I always assumed imaginary friends would be normal people, or maybe characters in a favorite book or something like that.

"Yes. His name is Jack Frost." Jamie was digging his glove-covered hand into the snow, forming more snowballs. My head slightly tilted. The name sounded familiar. Something from a Christmas song? Oh, that's right, 'Jack Frost nipping at your nose'. I smiled at Jamie's creativity.

"I've heard of him," I said, gathering snow into a ball.

"I wish you could see him, then we could all play together." I could hear a small hint of sadness back in his voice. I paused, my arm pulled back to release a snowball. I slowly brought it down.

"Maybe someday I will see him. Then we can all play together," I comforted Jamie. I knew this would never happen, but I couldn't bear to see Jamie sad. His eyes lit up.

"Really?" He asked, hope filling his voice. I smiled warmly.

"Really," I replied. I said that without the knowledge that my promise would be fulfilled sooner than I thought.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

A week had passed since the day I met Jamie, and I had been seeing him more often. I would usually join him and his friends for a snowball fight on my way home from school. Every time I saw him, he would mention his friend Jack. I thought it was cute that he had an imaginary friend. Although, I was surprised when the other kids told me that they also saw Jack. I always pushed my confusion aside, blaming it on the children's imagination. I was, in fact, just pushing the thought away as I walked down the familiar sidewalk to my house. My hair bounced in sync to my steps, swishing around my shoulders. As I listened to my footsteps echo down the street, the sound of children laughing disturbed the silence. I smiled and looked up. Jamie and his usual group of friends were playing in the small field. They weren't having a snowball fight, though. They were making snow angels. Jamie had just stood up from the snow when he saw me.

"Autumn! Want to make a snow angel?" He yelled across the street.

"Sure!" I said enthusiastically. I crossed the empty street and made my way over to Jamie.

"Hi, Autumn! Jack saw you and said to invite you over." Jamie started pulling me towards a spot in the snow that was un-touched.

"He did? Well, that was very nice of him," I said, getting ready to fall back on the snow. I spread my arms out and fell back. In an instant, the powdery clouds of snow caught my fall. I sighed, feeling as relaxed as ever. I began to move my arms and legs back and forth. Once I determined I was finished, I cautiously sat up. Standing up would be tricky since my balance was compromised. Just another reminder of my limitations... I thought sadly. I quickly erased the thought from my mind before I could dwell on it. I slowly and shakily stood up and stepped a few feet away from my creation. I turned to Jamie, who was admiring my snow angel.

"Your's is really good!" He said. He paused for a moment, looking off into the distance. "Jack also thinks it's good," he then added. I smiled warmly.

"Well, thank you. And tell Jack I said thank you too," I added, playing along with his imagination. Jamie giggled.

"He knows. He just heard you," he said. I laughed lightly.

"I guess you're right," I replied, looking at my snow angel.

"Hey, Autumn! Want to race?" Jamie asked enthusiastically, bracing himself to dash away. I felt the familiar feel of my happiness fade. As much as I tried to keep it there, my smile faded with it. I unconsciously cast my eyes downward. Jamie stood up straight, sensing something wrong.

"What's wrong?" He asked, taking a couple of steps towards me. I sighed, shaking my head lightly.

"Oh, it's nothing really. I-I just... you see..." I stuttered with my words, not knowing the right way to talk about my situation. "I can't run," I said plainly. Saying the words out loud always felt weird on my tongue. Jamie took a step backwards, startled by my shocking news. Suddenly, I felt arms wrap around my torso. I looked down to see Jamie hugging me tightly. He looked up at me, his head only reaching to about my belly button.

"I'm sorry," he said, sincerity filling his voice. His compassion almost made my heart melt. I warmly stroked his hair.

"It's okay. I've dealt with it for a while now," I said. Jamie pulled back and sat down in the snow.

"Is that why you were crying on the bench the other day?" He asked, realization filling his eyes. I sat down in front of him, crossing my legs.

"Yeah, it was," I replied quietly. "But I'm fine," I added. Jamie didn't look completely convinced.

"What happened?" He asked. I tried to hide the fact that my breath caught in my throat. "You don't have to tell us, but Jack wants to know too," he added. I sighed. I guess I could tell him a small part.

"Well, about two years ago, I was in an accident."

"What kind of accident?" Jamie said abruptly, worry filling his eyes. I smiled slightly at his concern.

"A car accident. I was in the hospital for a while, because I got injured. That's why I can't run," I summed up. In less than a second, Jamie leapt from his position and tackled me in a hug. Luckily I steadied myself, so I didn't fall backwards, though it was a close call.

"I'm so sorry," Jamie said through my hair, his arms wrapped tightly around my neck. I smiled, and hugged him back.

"It's okay. Thank you," I replied. Jamie pulled back from the hug, a smile on his face.

"How about a snowball fight, to make you happy?" He asked. I chuckled, already feeling the uncomfortableness that came with talking about that subject melting quickly away.

"That sounds great," I replied, standing up. Jamie suddenly darted to my assistance. I smiled even more at his compassion.

"Thank you, Jamie," I said. He just smiled and turned to walk towards the other children. I was about to follow when I heard someone laughing. The voice sounded carefree and light. I turned around in an attempt to find the source of the laughter. It suddenly died down, as quickly as it had started. Pushing it aside, I continued on my way to Jamie, who was almost finished with a small snow fort.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

I clutched my coat tighter around my body, trying to keep out the cold. I was only a block away from my school, and I was hoping to get home as fast as possible. I desperately craved a nice cup of warm hot chocolate. I brought my shaky hands up to my head, clutching my earmuffs closer to my skull. I let my hair flow free, the short locks offering a small amount of warmth around my neck. The snow sloshed around my boots, causing a layer of water to coat them. I turned a corner, only to stop dead in my tracks. Up ahead, I saw a lonely girl sitting on a bench. The young girl had her head in her hands, and soft sniffles could be heard over the light wind. My eyes widened. My heart hurt to see the girl like this, so I felt like I should do something. I slowly approached the girl. Her black hair swirled around her, but was kept out of her face by her knit hat. I cautiously sat down next to the girl. She suddenly looked up, sensing my presence. Her almond eyes widened.

"Hi, my name is Autumn. What's your's?" I said sweetly, offering a warm smile. The girl relaxed. She sniffled a couple of times.

"H-hi Autumn. I'm K-katie," the girl said. I scooted closer.

"Hi Katie, is something wrong?" I asked, slightly bringing my brows together. Katie looked at her hands, which were folded in her lap. She nodded slowly, a few more sniffles escaping. I placed a light hand on her shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked. She glanced at me, then looked back down at her lap.

"O-okay," she said after a second. She wiped her nose with her glove-covered hand. "A couple of days ago, my dog passed away. Mom said that it was because she was really old and that she's in heaven now. I miss her a lot." A few fresh tears trickled down the girl's cheeks. I moved my hand across her shoulder, wrapping her in my arm.

"It's okay. I know what it's like to lose something you love," I said, comforting her. Katie looked up at me with wide eyes.

"You do?" She asked. I nodded. She looked back down in her lap. "Some of the kids at my school say..." she stopped, trailing off. I tightened my hold on her.

"What do they say?" I asked, rubbing her shoulder. She inhaled a shaky breath.

"They, they say..." She lowered her voice. "They say I'm stupid for crying about it." She sniffled a few times before more tears rolled down her cheeks. I pulled her close to my side, trying to calm her.

"Katie, don't listen to what they say. They don't know what they're talking about," I said, holding onto her shaking shoulders tightly. She pulled slightly away, so she could look up at me.

"They don't?" She asked, wiping her cheeks. I smiled warmly.

"No, they don't. You want to hear what I always tell myself when I'm sad and start to cry?" I asked. She straightened her back, a small smile forming on her face.

"Mhmm," she replied, nodding her head.

"I always tell myself that it's okay to cry when something sad or stressful happens because it shows that you have been strong. It is very hard to lose something that you love, and it takes a lot of strength to get through. That includes crying sometimes, and that is okay." Katie's smile grew. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around my torso, burying her face in my coat.

"Thank you, Autumn," she mumbled through the material. I smiled, and held her close. I looked up, and could see Jamie and his friends playing in the distance.

"Hey, do you have anywhere to be?" I asked Katie. She pulled away from the hug.

"No. I usually play with my friends for a while, then go home. But my friends are being mean..." She said sadly.

"Well, I know some people who are not mean. You can play with them for a bit if you'd like," I said, standing up. I brushed some snow off the back of my pants.

"Really?" Katie exclaimed, jumping off the bench. I smiled and nodded my head.

"Really. Come on, I'll introduce you," I said, holding out my hand. She grasped onto it, and I led her across the street. We walked down a couple of blocks in comfortable silence. I could hear the happy cheers from Jamie and his friends grow louder. Katie was bouncing up and down, obviously hearing the sound of Jamie and his friends as well. When we reached the small field, I walked over to Jamie, who was just starting to build a snowman.

"Hey, Jamie!" I greeted. He looked up from his work, only to have his smile grow larger.

"Hi, Autumn!" He said excitedly. I looked down at Katie, who was gripping my hand. Her eyes were wide, and her smile was gone. She took a step to the left and hid behind my legs. I smiled lightly. I guess she was shy.

"Jamie, I want you to meet my friend Katie. Do you think she could play with you and your friends for a little while?" I asked, stepping slightly to the side to expose Katie. Jamie walked over.

"Sure! Hi, I'm Jamie," he said, extending his hand. Katie tentatively shook it.

"I'm Katie," she said quietly.

"You want to build a snowman with me?" Jamie asked, pointing to the large body of the work-in-progress snowman. Katie's eyes brightened, and a small smile started to form on her lips.

"Sure," she said, her voice more confident. She let go of my hand and walked over to Jamie's start of a snowman. I watched as Katie's demeanor brightened rapidly every passing second. I smiled, taking in how beautiful the innocence of childhood was. For some reason, my body began to get substantially colder. After moments of trying to dismiss it, I finally gave up and looked down. My breath hitched in my throat as I gazed at the snow around my feet. Somehow, intricate designs of frost had formed, creating beautiful patterns. My eyes widened in awe. I slowly lowered my body, resting on my knees. I sat back on my feet and studied the interesting phenomenon. I pulled off the gloves I had on and tentatively reached a hand forward, brushing my fingertips over the designs. They stayed put, intriguing me even more. I was brought out of my trance by hearing Jamie call my name.

"Autumn! We finished the snowman! Do you like it?" He asked, pointing to the now-finished snowman. Katie stood proudly next to it, a satisfied smile on her face.

"I love it! You guys did an amazing job," I said, smiling brightly.

"Thanks! What are you looking at?" Katie asked, walking slowly towards me. I looked back down at the interesting swirls of frost.

"Oh, come look at this. I just saw this on the ground," I said, beckoning them to come closer. They quickly ran over, looking intently at the ground. Jamie smiled.

"Jack did that," he said, pointing to the icy designs.

"Who's Jack?" Katie inquired, tilting her head to the side.

"Jack Frost. He's right there." Jamie pointed to his right. I looked to where he was pointing, again finding nothing but air. Though for some reason, a part of me believed something was there. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Katie's brown orbs widened, staring at the space of air.

"Wow! It's Jack Frost!" She exclaimed, the sides of her mouth turning up in a bright smile. I laughed lightly at her enthusiasm. She turned to me. "Can't you see him?" She asked, looking from the empty space to me, and then back. I shook my head.

"No. I can't see him," I replied honestly. Katie's arms dropped to her side, her eyebrows scrunching together.

"Why not?" She asked with a mix of sadness and confusion in her voice.

"Not everyone can see him," Jamie answered for me. Katie looked at Jamie.

"Why?" She asked, pressing the issue.

"Because not everyone believes in him," Jamie answered matter-of-factly. Katie turned back to me.

"Why don't you believe in him? He's right there!" She exclaimed, pointing to the space of empty air. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't know," I answered. Katie looked down in disappointment. Then, after a moment, she lifted her head with excitement in her eyes.

"What if we proved he was real. Would you believe in him then?" She asked, trying to keep her excitement under control. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, so I agreed.

"Okay." She fist-pumped the air.

"Alright!" She exclaimed. She turned to the space that supposedly occupied 'Jack Frost'. "Jack, do something to make her believe!" She demanded. I waited patiently for something, anything, to happen. Katie was watching the empty space intently.

"Just try!" Jamie insisted, also looking at the empty space with pleading eyes. I felt a pang of guilt that they were going to these lengths to try and make me see something that wasn't there. I was about to suggest a snowball fight when something caught my eye. Another swirl of frost was forming on the ground. I stared curiously at the design. After a moment, more appeared. Katie and Jamie's smiles were stretched across their faces as far as they could go. The swirls of frost turned into a line and started snaking its way away from us.

"Come on!" Jamie yelled, already starting to follow the icy rope. Katie followed him, practically skipping. I reluctantly stood up and realized my jaw had dropped. I closed it slowly and re-gained the breath I didn't know had been let out. Lines of frost didn't just magically form in the snow. Eager for an explanation, I followed the two happy-go-lucky kids. The strange ribbon of frost continued into a small wooded area away from the field. Jamie and Katie raced away, into the woods.

"Wait!" I called, not wanting to lose them. I walked as fast as I could, occasionally tripping in the dense snow. I followed the trail of frost, anxiety boiling in my stomach. There was no way I was going to lose Jamie and Katie. I forced the nervousness back, telling myself to be strong and just follow them. I walked into the woods determinedly. After several tense moments, I saw them in a small clearing. They were standing next to each other, both looking at an empty space a couple of feet away from them. I walked quicker, feeling more energized by the accomplishment of finding them.

"Jamie! Katie! You guys almost gave me a heart attack!" I exclaimed, walking into the clearing.

"Sorry, Autumn," Katie said, looking down at her feet. I slowed my pace, forcing myself to relax my muscles. I took a breath and calmed down.

"It's okay. I just was worried you would get lost, that's all," I assured, offering her a small smile. Katie looked back up, obviously relieved I wasn't mad at her. I noticed Jamie still looking at the empty space. I turned to look myself, only to find more of the frosted lines in the snow. I shook my head, still not sure what could have caused them.

"How did that happen?" I asked myself out loud, stepping closer to the designs.

"I told you before, Jack did that. Do you believe in him now?" Jamie asked, a hopeful gleam in his eyes. I sighed, guilty for having to ruin their fun.

"I'm really sorry, Jamie. I just can't see him," I said, giving him a sympathetic look. His shoulders dropped, looking like he had given up. He slowly nodded his head, accepting the fact I might never see his friend Jack. He looked back to the empty space. Suddenly, a smile formed on his face. His shoulders straightened. The smile grew, his eyes holding their usual twinkle. I looked back to the empty space, hoping to see what had Jamie so excited. I did a double-take. The frost lines had begun to form again. This time, they seemed to be forming specific shapes. I watched in awe as I recognized the shapes of letters being formed.

'J', it formed, stopping when the letter was completed. I felt my jaw slowly open.

"What?" I quietly whispered. The frost started on a new shape, swirling in the glimmering snow.

'A', it read, once the second figure was done. It can't be... I thought to myself. I stood frozen as other letters appeared in the snow, the sun's light reflecting brilliantly off of the ice.

'C'

'K'

The frost stopped. I stared in shock at the word in front of me. 'JACK', it read. I turned and walked a few steps away from the message. I shut my eyes tight and opened them. I turned around sharply, looking back in the snow. The name was still there. Jamie and Katie were watching me, excitement written all over their faces. I shook my head.

"No, that's impossible..." I murmured, trying to convince myself I was seeing things. As if on cue, the frost re-appeared. It was forming letters at a faster rate, seemingly annoyed with my reluctance to accept what was right in front of me.

'F' 'R' 'O' 'S'

I already had a hunch of what the next letter would be. As the frost began forming its last letter, I thought back to the times that Jamie talked about his friend Jack. My mind quickly placed the memories of unexplained happenings in my mind. The snowball on the first day I met Jamie... The laughter I heard, with no visible source... Suddenly, something clicked in my mind. The pieces were put together. The outcome was something that I never thought would be possible. Just as the last letter was almost complete, something appeared standing over it. Not something, but someone.

I gasped loudly as an older boy appeared above the frosted letters. His white hair gleamed in the sunlight, resembling the glittering snow around us. His pale face was turned towards the frost letters, his icy blue eyes narrowed in concentration. His worn blue hoodie had light traces of frost covering the shoulders. I noticed his bare feet digging in the snow, and couldn't stop the slight shiver that ran through my body while thinking about how uncomfortable it must be. In his right hand was a long, wooden, misshapen staff. The curled end was pointed at the snow, guiding the frost ribbons to finish the last letter. The iced line stopped, and the boy stood straighter.

'JACK FROST'

The name shone in the sunlight, reflecting brightly. The boy looked at me expectingly but jumped slightly when he saw me watching him curiously. My mouth was hanging wide open, my eyes widened as big as they could get. My breathing was deep and slow, and barely making a sound. The clearing was so quiet, you could hear the light wind whistle gently. After several silent, still moments, the boy's lips twitched. Slowly, a smile began to appear. Another moment passed before he walked confidently over to me. He stopped in front of me and held out his hand.

"Hi. I'm Jack Frost."


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

I stood petrified in my spot. This person – Jack Frost – had just appeared out of thin air. I glanced at Jamie and Katie, who looked like they had just been given the whole world to themselves. I returned my stunned gaze to Jack, whose expression was a mixture of emotions. It held surprise, happiness, curiosity, and a tinge of relief. I tried my best to act normal and shake his outstretched hand, but my brain felt frozen. After a few moments, I jerkily moved my hand to grasp his, shaking it slightly.

"A-Autumn," I stuttered out. I let go of his hand, and my arm fell limply at my side. Jack stared at his hand for a moment, even more surprise filtering through his features. I felt a little more courageous.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He looked back at me, a look of disbelief and excitement on his face.

"Nothing, it's just... you're the first person over 12 to see me. You are over 12, right?" He asked, turning his head and narrowing his eyes questioningly. I succeed in pushing away the blush I felt coming at this question.

"Yeah, I'm 15," I answered, finding more of my confidence. His striking eyes widened and he started to smile.

"You really can see me, can't you," he said, more to himself than to me. I nodded my head slowly, also fully absorbing this realization. He slowly brought his still-raised hand down to his side, his smile growing. He let out a few short laughs, running a hand through his snow-like hair. "You can see me!" He exclaimed, again speaking more to himself. I nodded, feeling less petrified.

"Yeah, I thought we already established that," I said jokingly, a friendly smirk tugging at my face. He crossed his arms, his own smirk appearing.

"Look, I've been here for over 300 years, and I don't get that many people to believe in me, let alone anyone over the age of 12. Give me some slack," he said seriously, although his expression said otherwise.

"I see your point," I replied, my smirk turning into a smile. I just then noticed Jamie and Katie, who still were wide-eyed and speechless. "Guys, you okay?" I asked playfully, chuckling at their expressions.

"YOU CAN SEE HIM!" Katie yelled, practically screamed, jumping up and down. I stepped back, startled by the loud response.

"I think they're excited about this," I said quietly to Jack, still watching Katie bounce up and down in her spot.

"I thought we already established that," he shot back, the smirk growing into a smile. I laughed loudly, watching Katie bounce over to us.

"We can all play together now!" She said loudly, her almond eyes stretched wide.

"Let's start now!" Jamie yelled, quickly picking up a handful of snow and forming it into a ball. Right as he finished it, a snowball hit him square in the face. For a moment, he stood still in shock. I thought worriedly that the snow might have gotten in his eyes, but I relaxed as he started to laugh. He wiped the snow from his face and pulled his arm back. I quickly moved away, diving into the snow as fast as I could. I bundled an armful of snow together, claiming this spot as my safe zone. I piled more and more snow onto that spot, creating a barrier.

I could hear the children and Jack already having an all-out war. I packed handfuls of snow together, creating a stash of snowballs. Once completed, I grabbed one, and slowly lifted my head over the fort. Only my eyes could be seen over the top of the snow wall. I saw that Jamie and Katie had each found a tree to hide behind. Katie stuck her head out from behind her hiding place, and I used that to my advantage. I threw a snowball as fast as I could and watched in amusement as it hit the side of her face. She let out a shriek and darted back to the safety of the frosted bark. I slid lower behind my fortress, waiting for someone to come out from their hiding place.

I suddenly heard the faint sound of breaking twigs and looked up. Perched on a branch above Jamie, was Jack. A snowball was in his hand, slowly moving back in a throwing position. Jamie was sitting in the snow under the tree, completely unaware he was in for a surprise attack. I took this opportunity to grab a snowball, and throw it with full force at the spirit about to ambush Jamie. It hit him square in the face, causing him to lose his balance, and plummet to the ground. Before he touched the snow, he was swept up with the wind, landing with both feet on the ground, whipping his head back and forth in search of the culprit. I choked back a gasp. 'He can fly!?' I thought to myself. I was brought back to reality by the sound of Jamie rolling in the snow from laughing. I tried to hold back my laughter, but I just couldn't. The look on Jack's face was priceless. It was a mixture of shock, confusion, and annoyance. He was probably ticked off by the fact he was beat at his own game.

I let out a loud burst of laughter but quickly slapped my hand to my mouth. Too late. Jack heard me, and already formed a snowball in his hand, smiling mischievously in my direction. I slowly lowered myself behind my snow barrier, the smile wiped from my face. I turned around, pushing my back against the snow block, frantically looking into the trees in front of me. The woods were eerily silent, seemingly bracing itself.

All of a sudden, so fast my brain could hardly register it, showers of snowballs pelted my body. I screeched in shock, holding my hands before my head, desperately trying to stop the snowballs from hitting my face. I realized that if I just stayed there, the rain of snowballs wouldn't stop for a while, so I tried my best to stand. I was very wobbly and fell a few times. Finally, I managed to stand up on my two feet, hunched over and cowering from the snowballs. My eyes had shut long ago, and my sense of direction was completely ruined. That being said, you can understand why I had no idea where I was going. At all.

In an attempt to escape the never-ending attack, I lunged in the direction my body was leaning. In this case, it was backwards. Disoriented by the frozen showers, I had forgotten my snow wall was directly behind me. As I lunged backwards my snow fort hitched itself in the crook of my knees, causing me to slam into the ground. The impact caused sprinkles of snow to fly away from me, making a loud crunch. As I laid on the ground, stunned, the snowballs ceased their fire. After a few moments, I dared to open my eyes. Standing to the side of me, wearing the most self-satisfied smirk I've ever seen, was Jack Frost. As much as I wanted to smack that smirk off of his face – mostly because it was caused by my humiliation – I couldn't help but crack a smile of my own, and let out a few short laughs. What can I say? I enjoy a good dose of pranks and mischief every now and then. Not feeling like I wanted to be on the cold ground anymore, I decided it was time to get myself standing back on my feet. Using the very small amount – I can't stress the word 'small' enough – of skills I acquired from a 6-month gymnastics class I took when I was 7, I performed a very ungraceful backwards summersault, ending up sitting on my feet. I shook the snow, that had stuck to my head during the 'ever so graceful' backwards summersault, from my hair, causing it to look even more unkempt than usual.

"That… was an incredible summersault," Jack said sarcastically. I cocked my head to the side, crossing my arms.

"You know what, I will accept that compliment," I replied. For a moment, Jack looked entirely confused. I scoffed. "You know I took you as someone who would know a joke when they hear one, but I guess I was wrong," I said, wobbly standing up. Jack shook his head.

"No, I perfectly understand that what you just said was a joke," he said, sighing exasperatedly. Before he continued, the expression of exasperation dropped, "It's just that... You're taking this whole situation pretty calmly. Much different than I thought you would take it." Surprise was showing strongly in his voice. After hearing him, I quickly assessed how I felt about the whole situation, searching for any signs of disbelief. Strangely, I found none. I shrugged.

"I guess... I'm just in a state of shock, I don't know. When I feel like hyperventilating, I'll let you know," I said casually. Jack just smiled and laughed.

"No, it's nice to have someone who isn't freaking out. Well, the only experience I've had are with children, and that's usually what they do the first time they see me," he said. Looking at him, I could actually see hints of gratitude in his expression. I guess it could get pretty annoying after a while for people – well, children – to freak out when they see you.

"Okay, I'll make a mental note to skip the hyperventilation stage altogether," I said with a light smile. I could visibly see the gratitude, though Jack covered it up with a short:

"Thanks."

Suddenly, out of (seemingly) nowhere, a snowball planted itself on my back, spraying bits of ice around me like an explosion. I whipped around, finding Jamie and Katie hiding behind the same tree, both trying to control their laughter.

"Oh, I see how it is!" I yelled playfully. "Teaming up to take us down... well two can play at that game!" I shouted, before launching myself over my snow wall that had previously tripped me. As fast as I could, I pounded snow together in my hands, creating a small pile of snowballs to throw. "Hey, teammate," I called to Jack, who had flown up to the safety of some tree branches. He looked down before I continued, "I need some help down here." I said, patting the snow next to me. He smiled and dropped to the ground, landing lightly in the snow. In a flash, he created a heaping amount of snowballs, all piled behind us. I smirked, "Awesome," I commented. I grabbed one, aimed, and threw. It hit the tree that Jamie and Katie were hiding behind, signaling the start of the fight. As the minutes passed, soon turning into a couple of hours, I realized a true friendship was starting to grow between me and – I never thought I would say this – the Winter Spirit known as Jack Frost.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay... this chapter is a little much with the music...  
> but in this house we don't shame middle school self-indulgence and we say "wow okay this is what you did to make yourself happy. you know what, good job."

CHAPTER 5

My boots created soft dents in the snow, leaving a long trail behind me. Next to them, were the footprints of my two friends. We were walking home from school, discussing the usuals: stupid homework, annoying teachers, mean girls, cute boys, etc. To my right was Avery. She was new to my school this year, and from the moment I met her I had vowed to try and form a friendship with her. Thankfully, we shared a lot of the same interests and instantly clicked. Since then, she had been a very close friend. Her unnaturally-looking (though very real – and beautiful) long red hair bounced against her back, the tight, yet neat curls springing up and down. She was the type of person who put everyone before herself, who wanted to make everyone happy. The person who always made you feel welcome. Though she was shy, she always warmed up around me and Nia, who was walking beside me to my left. With seemingly perfect, voluminous natural curls, startling deep chocolate eyes, and tangible confidence in her step, I was intimidated when I had first met her. That feeling quickly went away when I got to know her, and now I deeply admire her confidence. She was down to earth, up for anything, and never judgmental. Although, she did get passionate about school work, as she has never gotten anything lower than an A+. In fact, at that very moment, she was reminding Avery and me about the importance of doing your best on homework and turning it in on time.

"...And if you don't turn it in on time, then all that hard work would have been for nothing! Then points are taken away, which means the perfect score you want is completely out of the question. Next thing you know you don't get a 4.0 grade average..." Okay, now she was just getting out of hand.

"Stop! Just, stop! We just got out of school, why don't we talk about something else for a bit?" I suddenly said, not wanting to waste my time away from school talking about school. Nia looked a little hurt, because of the fact I wasn't as concerned as her about this.

"I just don't understand why you don't seem to care at all what your grades are. I mean, how are you going to get into a good college if you don't keep your grades up?" she asked worriedly. I sighed, though there was still a smile on my face.

"Nia, not all of us dream about being accepted into the top 20 law schools in the country, only so you can enrol in the school you wanted to go to from the beginning and frame all the other acceptance letters," I said, describing herself in the process. She obviously noticed this, as she scoffed.

"Well excuse me for wanting to see how my hard work pays off. I don't understand why you don't dream of going to Stanford, or... Harvard, or... or Yale..." she said slowly, slipping into a daydream right before our eyes.

"Guys, why don't we talk about something we all want to talk about?" Avery offered, leaning forward to watch our expressions. I glanced at Nia, giving her a questioning look, a smirk appearing on my face. She instantly understood, and nodded quickly, smiling mischievously. I turned slowly towards Avery, who was unaware of our silent communication.

"Okay, well... I know something we would like to talk about..." I said, drawling my voice out for suspense. Avery perked up, happy that our little argument – if you would even call that an argument – was over.

"What is it?" She asked obliviously. I tried to keep my smirk from growing.

"Maybe we could talk about... Well, I don't know..." I drew out, cocking my head to the side. "Ryker?" I asked, waiting for her face to turn red. Of course, it did. This time though, her smile faded. Her usually deep and seemingly endless blue eyes dimmed. I instantly stopped in my tracks. "What happened," I asked sternly, yet with care. Nia also seemed to notice Avery's change in demeanor, since she stopped a couple of steps in front of me. Avery slowed to a stop, turning slowly. She tried to smile, to reassure us, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"N-nothing. It was nothing," she said quickly, trying to dismiss the subject. I felt a wave of protectiveness wash over me for my friend.

"Nia, do I need to have a stern talk with him? Because you know I will," I said, trying to lift her spirits. Thankfully, she did look a little brighter, but not by much.

"No, it's okay. You don't have to," she said quietly. Nia, on the other hand, wasn't having any of this.

"Avery, tell us what happened," she said properly, almost motherly. Avery looked like she was having an internal battle with herself, deciding whether or not to tell us whatever was bothering her. To me and Nia's relief, she sighed, motioning us to come closer. We stood in front of her, waiting for her to speak. She looked around nervously, avoiding our gaze.

"Um, well... He's been acting weird, lately? And, uh... I don't really know why. He hasn't been talking to me as much, almost ignoring me, and... I don't know what to do," she said quickly and quietly, looking at the ground. Suddenly, my 'helping' mode was activated. It's what I call my behavior when I try and get to the bottom of people's problems.

"Avery, did anything happen between you lately? A fight? A disagreement? Anything?" I asked seriously, my mind only focusing on finding the cause of the hurt in my friend's eyes. She thought for a moment.

"Well, I'm not sure. I did ask him to stop smothering me though..." She admitted guiltily. She let out an annoyed moan. "Oh god... What did I do?" She asked herself, rubbing her forehead with her hand. I could see her eyes start to tear up.

"Avery, listen to me, it's not your fault. I actually remember you telling us about how he was too clingy, right? Well, he's probably just feeling bad and doesn't know how much space to give you, so he's just giving you as much space as possible. What you need to do is walk up to him, tell him how you feel, and be strong. Confident, to the point, and strong. I am almost positive he will see his mistake and fix it, but you need to guide him to that realization. Okay?" I ordered, the sternness in my voice coming from the annoyance I was feeling towards Avery's boyfriend, Ryker. They had been together for about 3 months now, but you could see they really, truly liked each other. I would hate to see their relationship end. Nia looked at me gratefully, the tears retreating.

"Thanks, Autumn, I'll do that," she said gratefully. I smiled, glad to see her feeling a bit better.

"Alright, now that we're all happy again, let's get home and finish our homework!" Nia said excitedly, beaming at the thought of her school work. I groaned, while Avery just laughed. We kept walking down the street, heading towards Nia's house. While walking, I couldn't help but notice the strangely abrupt temperature drop. While Nia and Avery were muttering about their toes freezing off, I simply smiled, and couldn't help but notice the flash of a blue hoodie disappear from my eyesight.

.o.0.o.

About an hour later, I bid goodbye to Nia and Avery. Shutting the door lightly behind me, I made my way down the small set of stairs in front of Nia's house. Walking out of her gate, I continued down the street. The sound of my shoes hitting the snow-covered ground calmed me. The air was chilly, and it refreshed my lungs. I couldn't explain it, but at that very moment, I felt entirely at peace. All the snowflakes that were falling delicately in the air seemed to slow down, twirling gracefully through the air. It seemed as if the streets were abandoned, as I couldn't spot a living soul anywhere around me. Well, if no ones around... I thought to myself, double-checking to make sure I was correct. Taking a moment to reassure myself that it wasn't crazy for someone to just burst out into song randomly while walking home, I sucked in a breath.

"This is my winter song to you.

The storm is coming soon,

it rolls in from the sea." I paused, again, looking in every direction around me, making sure there weren't any unwanted listeners. Not seeing anything suspicious, I continued.

"My voice; a beacon in the night.

My words will be your light,

to carry you to me." I continued walking down the road, oblivious to any of my surroundings.

"Is love alive,

Is love alive,

Is love." I suddenly felt the urge to not return home just yet. It was fun just singing randomly, though I'm positive that if anyone saw me they would think I was completely insane. Reassuring myself, yet again, that no one was listening, I saw the little field that Jamie and his friends would usually play in. Strangely – but to my luck – it was deserted. I made my way over, singing all the way.

"They say that things just can not grow

beneath the winter snow,

or so I have been told.

They say were buried far

just like a distant star,

I simply can not hold." I had made my way to the center of the small clearing, but I didn't stop there. My feet seemed to take a mind of their own, as they continued moving forward. Walking through the snow, carelessly singing out into the nothingness, was meditative. Knowing that I had this moment just to myself.

"Is love alive?

Is love alive?

Is love alive?" I ran my hand through my short brunette locks, tousling them into their usual messiness. I closed my eyes, sucking in a bigger breath for the chorus.

"This is my winter song.

December never felt so wrong,

'cause you're not where you belong;

inside my arms." I took a moment to make sure I still knew where I was. I had walked past the small clearing and just a couple of meters into the woods. I could still clearly see the clearing through the trees. Feeling safer here, and less out in the open, I took a breath, prepared to continue. I stopped short when I heard a faint sound. It was almost too quiet to hear and could have possibly been my imagination. As I paused, I heard it again. Nope, not my imagination. I could feel my face rapidly heating up in embarrassment in possibly being caught in this vulnerable moment, and I swiftly turned in my spot, looking for any signs of life.

"Hello? Who's there?" I said aloud, hoping it was actually a person rather than some wild animal. Suddenly, I heard the soft mumble of several swear words. Feeling a bit more confident, I crossed my arms sternly.

"Alright... whoever is watching me, I know you're there, and would appreciate it if you just came out and apologized," I said loudly, looking around me. A couple of twigs suddenly landed beside me, startling me. I flinched at the sudden fall of the objects, snapping my head up to look into the trees. They're in the tree? What the hell? I was confused, and a bit nervous. I mean, who hides up in a tree? The only person I've ever seen doing that is-

"Jack?!" I yelled angrily. Crouching in one of the branches was none other than Jack Frost himself. 'Wow, great to know that this private moment was anything but,' I thought sarcastically. Although I could clearly see the embarrassment on his face, he pushed past it.

"Hey," he greeted casually. I felt my face heat up from embarrassment, and a bit of anger.

"Oh, hello Jack!" I replied sarcastically. "Nice to see you here... creepily watching me!" Perhaps I could put on a show to diminish how truly embarrassed I felt for being caught wandering in the woods singing like a mad person. He put his hand to his heart in fake disbelief.

"I am hurt that you think I would creepily watch you. Friends don't creepily watch other friends," he tried reasoning, raising his eyebrows and pointing his staff at me. I rolled my eyes.

"Then what were you doing up there?" I asked, scrunching my eyebrows together.

"I was simply observing the woods. It's not my fault you decided to come here, and sing to your heart's content!" He said, attempting to mimic my voice and look wistfully off into the distance. My skin heated up more, this time from pure embarrassment. I crossed my arms and lowered my head, trying to hide my red face.

"I didn't know you would be here, observing the woods!" I retorted, shuffling my feet in the snow. "Also, it's not like I thought anyone was listening!" I added in annoyance, throwing my arms in the air in exasperation. No matter how hard I tried to push it away, the red in my face stayed there, as if I was badly sunburned. I didn't want to storm off, so I stood my ground, even with my tomato-colored face. Jack seemed to notice this, to my displeasure.

"Are... are you blushing!?" He taunted, dropping from the branch onto the ground a few feet away from me. I turned away, trying to save myself any more embarrassment, but without seeming childish.

"You really don't have to rub it in," I said cooly, trying to keep my voice calm. Then, Jack did something I did not expect.

"Hey, I'm sorry... is it about the singing thing? I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to," he said. I froze in shock. I had completely expected him to rub it in my face, from the sound of his voice earlier. But he didn't. He was apologizing. A smile started to make its way onto my features. Feeling less embarrassed, I turned back around to face him.

"Thank you. I really appreciate that," I said, smiling. He returned the smile, seemingly relieved I wasn't upset at him anymore.

"If it's any consolation, it wasn't that bad. Actually, it was really good," he said, shrugging his shoulders. I smiled, a bit of pride filling my chest.

"You think so?" I asked, my eyes lighting up. He nodded curtly.

"Yup." Even with the short answer, I could see he meant it. I breathed out quietly in relief. Mostly because, well, he didn't say I sounded horrible. It would be even more embarrassing to not just be caught singing in the woods, but to be caught singing horribly in the woods.

"Thank you, it means a lot," I replied. Suddenly, I noticed the sky had dimmed since I last looked up. I pulled out my phone from my pocket, checking the time. I inhaled quickly at the numbers displayed. I needed to get home. "Well, I need to be getting home. Nice seeing you," I said to Jack, backing away. He looked slightly disappointed but nodded.

"Okay, nice to see you too… I'll see you around," he said before the wind lifted himself back into the tree. I waved a last goodbye, before turning around and walking quickly into the open clearing, and towards my house. I couldn't help but hear a soft murmur of words drifting in melody from the woods.

"This is my winter song... December never felt so wrong….."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Song used: Winter Song by Sara Bareilles


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> on FF.net I put "warning: swear words"  
> so I guess that will also be here

CHAPTER 6

I walked quickly into the woods, my feet sloshing in the snow. I tried to keep my breathing normal, but my choked sobs couldn't be fully contained. My short, bed-head brunette hair stuck to my face, glued by dried tears. They were flowing from my puffy eyes, which were squinting against the waterworks. I furiously wiped the wetness from my cheeks, not bothering to repeat the action once more tears flowed shortly after. I stumbled for a moment, causing me to stop in my tracks. I stood still, furiously glaring down at my feet. 'Why can't you just work!?' I thought angrily. I sighed, my shoulders relaxing.

I continued to trudge through the snow, going slower than before. I finally ended up near a small tree. It caught my attention, it being smaller than all the rest of the towering oaks. I walked over, plopping down at the base of the trunk. I huffed, settling myself in the snow. As I let out a breath of exhaustion, a sense of calmness fell over me. I gazed around me, staring off into endless woods. I felt the tingle of pine needles tickle my neck. The branches on this tree were low, but they let me examine the snow-covered, thin leaves. They were a light green, resembling my eyes. I smiled as I took in the artfully arranged pieces of snow sprinkled on the branches. It was beautiful, and took my mind off things. It made me forget about…

Suddenly remembering, my smile dropped. I turned my head back to stare blankly into the woods, letting the silence consume me. It was soon broken by soft whimpers, which I realized that I was producing. I could feel the tears again streaming down my face, falling off into the snow. The snow, which was cold to the touch. Except to my legs... I shook my head. It seemed as if everything around me was aiming to make me remember. Everything was a reminder of how I was different. It angered me, as I stared down at my legs. They were numb, they felt useless. I stared at my legs hard, as if I would suddenly feel a shock of coldness, and I would be all better. Of course, it never came. I felt more anger bubble inside my stomach. It felt like it was going to overflow.

"Why!?" I yelled up at the sky, desperation filling my voice. I sighed, realizing I was yelling at nothing. But, I didn't let myself feel stupid for doing that. Some of the anger had disappeared. I closed my eyes, letting silence re-claim my surroundings. After a moment, the air shifted, picking up its pace slightly. A soft whistle could be heard, caused by the wind. It felt cold and nipped at my skin. But for some reason, it felt familiar. I slowly opened my eyes, questioning my sanity.

"Autumn?" A voice called. I quietly sighed with relief, thankful that I was, in fact, sane. This fact was even more proven correct when the noise from snow being crunched underweight sounded next to me. I held back a sniffle, and just quickly wiped the tears from my face, trying to hide any sign of distress.

"Hey," I replied, finally turning my head to my right. Sat down next to me, also leaning his back against the trunk of the tree, was Jack. It had been about a month since I had officially met him, and surprisingly we had actually become good friends. I say that it's surprising on account of the fact that he's a Winter Spirit. How many people can say that one of their friends is a Winter Spirit? Not very many. But now, I'm one of them. His eyes flashed concern, and I realized that I hadn't been able to hide my distress as well as I thought.

"Are you okay?" He asked, pulling his eyebrows together. I looked away, trying to hide the fact my eyes had dimmed.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I lied, looking anywhere but him. There was a very small chance he wouldn't ask any more questions, and I could only hope he would hold his tongue. Sadly, today is just not my day.

"No, really. What's wrong?" He asked persistently, leaning his head forward in an attempt to make me look at him. I was a stubborn person, so I kept my face turned from him, not saying a word. I could hear him sigh from beside me. "Come on, I can see something is up," he pointed out. I slumped lower into the snow, contemplating whether or not to say something. I finally sighed, deciding I didn't feel like being completely rude today.

"Its nothing, really. Just... stuff," I replied casually, fiddling with a loose string attached to my jeans.

"If it was nothing, why were you crying?" Jack suddenly asked, looking at me with a raised eyebrow, though also looking concerned. I stiffened slightly, slowly bringing my hand to my cheek. I could feel dried tear stains on my skin, and Jack had obviously seen them. I swore in my head, annoyed that I didn't wipe my face harder.

"It was nothing. I shouldn't even be affected by it," I said a little too quickly. I quietly grumbled to myself for not keeping it together. I had been keeping myself together for so long, then suddenly one little thing is said, and it all comes crashing down. All the work I spent on building up resistance, keeping myself strong, almost felt like it was for nothing. But inside, I knew that it wasn't all for nothing. That alone calmed my nerves.

"Be affected by what?" Jack suddenly asked, pulling me from my train of thoughts. I opened my mouth slightly, only to close it. I repeated this action, every time not saying a word. Finally, I spoke.

"Nothing for you to be concerned about." I could hear Jack shift his body, and when I glanced over, I saw he had crossed his legs and faced me.

"Please just tell me," he asked calmly. It was so weird to hear him this serious, or concerned about something. In the month that I had known him, he had only shown the fun, carefree side of himself, with the occasional, very rare moment of calmness. It felt comforting that he was making an effort to see why I was sad. I finally looked at him, straight in the eye. If he wanted to know, I'll tell him.

"Fine. You want to know?" I asked, hardening my gaze. As much as I appreciated him trying to comfort me, I do not tolerate coming off as helpless, or weak in front of people. I am the one who lets people break down to me, and I'm the one who ends up making them feel more confident and stronger than before. I wasn't the one to break down.

"Yes. Tell me," Jack replied. Strangely, he didn't shift under my hard gaze, his voice didn't falter, he didn't look away. This was new to me. My expression suddenly changed. My brows furrowed in confusion and sadness, my eyes softening. I slowly turned my head to look back into the woods, the lowered it to stare at my legs. Maybe it was time to open up to someone. Anyone. Even Jack Frost.

"O-okay," I replied, nervous to be talking about my thoughts, my feelings. For a moment, I mentally looked inside myself. I searched through all the emotions I had, all the feelings I kept. I was surprised at some of my findings. After a moment, courage swept through me, and I spoke. "You were there when I told Jamie I can't run, right?" I asked, looking at Jack for confirmation. He nodded his head, his expression focused on only me. I fixed my gaze back on my legs. "Well, I guess it's just bothering me more than usual. People... are bothering me more than usual," I added, though stopping after that. I wasn't sure if I wanted to bring that up.

"What do you mean? People are bothering you how?" Jack asked, obviously unaware of the mental debate inside my head. Hearing him ask that question, for some reason, set off a switch inside of me. It told me that he really did want to know. Wow, he really didn't know what he had just opened up.

"I'm just so sick of it. So sick of people not understanding. So sick of being... alone in this. Sick of people being heartless. Not caring what effect their words have on me. Do you know what it's like to be different from everyone else, and then have that used against you?" I asked desperately, loudly. Jack knew I wasn't finished, so he didn't answer me. I continued. "Just the other day, this- this asshole just decides to make a 'harmless' comment. The only thing I had done was gotten into a small argument with him. You know what he says to me?" I asked, staring straight at Jack. He didn't move a muscle. "He said, 'Oh yeah? Well, you can't run'." I stopped, taking a moment to blink back rising tears at the memory. "Just that one little sentence. No one would think it means anything, right? Wrong. It means everything. It means not being free. Not being myself. Being limited. Being different. It means having to put up with some real shit. All because of some asshole who didn't even care about his own daughter's safety. Some asshole who decided it would be fine to drive while drunk with his 13 year old daughter in the car!"

After those words left my lips, I felt the world freeze. I could feel my body start to shake, my emotions running wild. I realized that I had been sitting up, staring angrily at Jack. I quickly looked away, slowly lowering my back to rest against the bark of the tree trunk. I stared blankly at my legs. After a moment, tears cascaded down my cheeks. I slowly brought my knees up, leaning my forehead against my kneecaps. My arms laid limply by my sides. No sounds came from my mouth. No whines, no sobs, no whimpers. Just silence.

I felt extremely self-conscious. I never cried in front of people. Ever. I felt I needed to explain myself, or... or apologize. Something. Even though I never expect people to apologize when their crying... It just felt different when it was me.

"I'm sorry..." I said softly.

Suddenly, I felt cold pressure on my back. I instinctively stiffened, but relaxed once I sensed that it was only Jack.

Wait... Jack.

He had put his hand on my back to... to comfort me. A warm sensation filled my chest. It was filled with relief. Relief that someone actually cared. That I had a friend who was concerned for me. I couldn't stop myself from slowly lifting my head from my knees, staring at Jack in shock. He stared back at me with care, comfort, and compassion. The shaggy mess called my hair fell into my eyes, though I could see clearly through the tendrils. My surprise doubled as Jack offered a small smile. I felt all the sadness, loneliness... anger, fade away.

"You don't have to apologize," Jack suddenly said, surprising me even more.

My brain couldn't register my action since I had gone so fast. In less than a second, I had thrown my arms around Jack's neck, clutching him in a tight embrace. I buried my face into his cold hoodie, though I wasn't fazed by the temperature. I could feel his body stiffen with sudden shock, though it soon relaxed as he returned the hug. Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face. My eyes seemed to have an endless supply. I questioned myself on why I was crying, as it felt like all my problems had disappeared. I felt like I was overflowing with happiness. Happiness, and relief. Relief that Jack didn't turn on his heel and run away when I exploded. Relief that he chose to stay and be unaffected. Relief that he had actually comforted me when I was finished. After what seemed like an eternity, I pulled away. My tears were long gone, but I was still sniffling slightly. I suddenly felt embarrassed, my face heating up slightly.

"Sorry," I said quietly, but clearly. Even in my worst of times, I made sure a part of me was strong. I looked up to see Jack smirking. Though, this wasn't an 'I'm the best at everything' kind of smirk... this was more of a, 'it's really okay', kind of smirk.

"You don't have to apologize for that either," he said lightly. I chuckled, realizing that it was silly of me to think I needed to apologize. A quiet moment passed, filled with only the soft sound of the wind.

"Jack?" I suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?" He replied, waiting for me to continue. I took a breath.

"Thank you, for that. I really needed it," I said sincerely. Jack smiled.

"No problem. That's what friends are for, right?" He replied, laughing lightly. I smiled, leaning my back against the small tree. Who would have known that all I needed was a Winter Spirit to cheer me up?

For what seemed like hours, I sat under the small oak with Jack, talking about anything and everything, laughing, just enjoying each other's company. He talked about the Guardians, and what he does to help the children of the world. He even talked a little about his sister and how he became a spirit, but he didn't dwell on it. He told me about the battle with some guy named Pitch Black – who seems like a real prick to me – and how Jamie and his friends helped the Guardians defeat Pitch. I told him about my family, school, friends. Nothing compared to saving the children of the world, though Jack didn't mind. He even got me to talk a little about that night 2 years ago. Though, like Jack when he talked about becoming a spirit, I didn't dwell on it.

In those hours – or minutes, I didn't really keep track of time – our friendship excelled at an alarming rate, and it almost felt like we had known each other our entire lives. Well, my entire life, since I am definitely not over 300 years old…

And suddenly, I didn't feel so alone.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

I laid on my back, under the fluffy comforter covering my bed. My eyes peeked out from the cloth barrier, anxiously waiting. The ticking of the clock on my bedside table was not helping. With every tick, my hands tightened their grip on the comforter. My stare burned holes in the ceiling, unwavering. I felt anticipation build-up, causing me to shrink further into the confinement of my blankets. I sharply turned my head, daring to look at the clock.

11:47 P.M. - December 24

I sighed shortly, turning my head to face the ceiling once more.

Tick, tick, tick, tick…

I groaned. Wow... that is really getting on my nerves, I commented to myself. I tried focusing my mind on other things, like the color of my bedroom walls. Light creme white. The four, small paintings directly across the room from my bed, placed above a patterned bean-bag chair. 1st and 3rd one, black bird cages, white background. 2nd and 4rd one, white birds, black background. I shifted my gaze slowly across the room, taking in the furniture. White bedside table, right side of the bed, complete with a lamp and clock... Long white desk, right side of the room, supporting computer, notebooks, and some framed pictures... Large hanging mirror, left side of the bed, beauty products placed neatly on a shelf below it... Door to closet, across from the bed, left side of the wall, a floor length mirror attached to it…

I sighed inwardly. This isn't helping... I complained. I turned my head to glance at the clock.

11:48 P.M. - December 24

"Ugh," I muttered simply, jerking my head back onto my pillow. I went back to staring at the ceiling, the feeling of anticipation coming back strong. I resumed my previous stance, which was clutching the top of the comforter, my body stiff and straight.

Suddenly, there was a light tap on my window. Being in over-sensitive state I was, it sent me flying into a sitting position, my short, bed-head brunette hair sticking up in several directions. I whipped my head to stare at the window, only to let out a shaky breath. I slowly slipped out from the warmth of my bed, grabbing my thigh-length blue robe and putting it on for warmth. I stepped towards the window, my navy-blue plaid pyjama bottoms keeping the cold from reaching my legs. The cold wouldn't reach them anyway, I thought grimly. I slowly opened the large window, the cold air causing my robe to billow slightly behind me, revealing my light-weight white V-neck shirt. I narrowed my eyes a little at my good friend Jack, who was currently hovering in the air casually, his snow-white hair shining in the moonlight.

"You're late!" I harshly whispered. He just smirked.

"And a warm welcome to you too," he replied, crossing his arms. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help the small smile that played on my lips. I nodded my head towards my room, motioning him to come inside. He quickly flew in, landing on my carpeted floor. Small traces of frost grew around his bare feet. I closed the window, the air becoming still from the absence of wind.

"Alright, ready to prank one of the most beloved symbols of childhood?" Jack asked, leaning on his wooden staff. I sighed uneasily.

"I guess..." I replied, walking slowly to my door. He quickly caught up to me, stopping me from opening my door.

"Come on, it will be fun. I will take full blame if we are caught. I swear," he said, holding his hand to his heart. I sighed, rubbing my forehead. I had a feeling I would be regretting this.

"Fine, fine. Let's just go already," I said, quietly opening my door. Jack did a little fist pump in the air, his icy eyes holding mischief. I poked my head into the hallway, making sure the door to the bedroom at the end of the hall – my mother's room – was closed. Seeing it shut, I quietly stepped onto the wooden floor. A slight creak echoed off the walls, seemingly as loud as millions of fireworks going off. I winced, changing my direction. I placed my foot on the wood near the wall. Not hearing any creaks, I slowly inched my way down the hall, my back pressed against the wall. Honestly, I felt ridiculous.

"I didn't know we would have to be so 'Mission Impossible' on this," I muttered, loud enough for Jack to hear. As a response, Jack hovered in the air, seemingly laying on his back, his hands behind his head.

"You mean you didn't know that you would have to be so 'Mission Impossible' on this," he replied, drifting at the same pace as me.

"Stop being such a show-off," I shot back, the corners of my lips lifting in a half-smile. He then landed silently on the floor.

"You know, you really don't have to do that," he said, lazily motioning to me. My arms were spread out side-ways, my knees slightly bent, my back pressed so hard against the wall I felt like I could be apart of it. I sighed, lifting some of my weight away from the wall.

"My mom could hear me, come out and question what I am doing, and send me back to my room," I said matter-of-factly. Jack shrugged.

"Then we would try and go downstairs again. I really don't think your mom will hear you though," he said, glancing down the hall at her door. I eventually nodded, straightening my legs and posture.

"Alright, whatever," I said, taking a step.

CRREEEEEEEAAAKK

I froze, my lips turning into a thin line and my eyes widening. I looked down at the wooden floor, which had just produced the loudest creak I had ever heard. Suddenly, I heard the slight squeak of a door opening behind me.

"Shit," I mumbled, closing my eyes for a moment.

"Autumn, honey, what are you doing?" I heard my mom question. I slowly turned, putting on a smile.

"Umm... just, ah... couldn't... sleep," I replied warily, shrugging my shoulders. She stood in the doorway for a moment, looking at me with tired eyes. I stayed frozen, waiting for any expression, words... something from my mother. To my amazement, she just stood in the doorway, leaning on the wall for support, not sporting a single expression. Well, other than the expression of someone who hasn't slept for three days.

"Alright." She said bluntly, before lazily closing her door. I stood up straight, cocking my eyebrow.

"Wow, you really got busted there," I heard Jack say behind me. I turned around giving him an exasperated look. He simply smiled, pointing his staff towards the steps leading to the 1st floor. "Care to continue our little adventure?" He inquired, starting down the stairs before I could retort. I chuckled lightly, carefully making my way down the steps.

When I reached the bottom, I headed towards the kitchen. I didn't bother to turn the lights on, as the light from the moon and street lamps were filtering through the windows. Walking over the cold tiles of the kitchen, I shivered slightly. I grasped the handle to the fridge and pulled it open. The light streamed onto the floor, blinding me momentarily. After I recovered, I cautiously pushed aside several items on the top shelf, careful not to push anything onto the floor. I reached into the back of the fridge, carefully lifting a carton of milk, and setting it down on the marble counter next to me. I closed the fridge and reached for a glass cup above me. Setting the cup down, I opened the carton of milk, making sure I was a safe distance away from it. I didn't want to risk getting a whiff of the rotten smell of the expired milk. I regretfully poured it into the cup, scrunching my nose in disgust. I quickly shut the carton once the cup was full, immediately throwing it in the garbage can.

"Got the replacement ready?" Jack said, holding a fresh cup of milk that was previously next to a small plate of cookies on the fireplace. I nodded remorsefully, handing him the cup of bad milk. He, in turn, handed me the cup of normal, fresh milk, walking back to the living room. Still feeling anxious about his idea to prank poor Santa, I put the cup in the fridge, in case it was needed. I walked cautiously to the living room, watching as Jack placed the cup next to the plate of cookies, a mischievous grin plastered on his face. I entered the room, the light from the Christmas tree that was set up next to the fireplace warming my surroundings. Two stockings were held onto the fireplace by hooks, one bearing my name while the other held my mom's. On the wall above, a large Christmas wreath was placed, similar to the one on my front door. Jack's voice interrupted my gaze around the room.

"Alright, time to hide," he said, motioning me to follow. He hopped behind a cosy leather couch, which had a large space between it and the wall. I followed, crouching down to sit. I leaned my back against the wall, crossing my arms, waiting. I couldn't help but notice that the evil grin never left Jack.

"Wow, you look dangerous," I said sarcastically, laughing lightly. He turned to me, his face turning smug.

"Don't forget handsome," he replied.

"How could I forget something I never even thought of in the first place?" I questioned, tilting my head to the side. He placed a hand on his heart, mock-hurt filling his eyes.

"I am hurt, Autumn. I thought we were friends!" He exclaimed. I pouted my lip.

"Oh, I am so sorry. Then as your friend, I think you are adorable!" I exclaimed as if I was talking to a child. I poked his nose playfully, causing him to narrow his eyes.

"That was not the response I was looking for," he muttered dramatically, crossing his arms slowly to exaggerate his disappointment. I smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well too bad, it's the response you got," I countered. There was a moment of silence before we both began laughing. At what, I wasn't sure of. I guess being around your friends – even if it is a spirit – does that to you. My laughter abruptly stopped when I heard a faint noise.

"Did you hear that?" I harshly whispered, causing Jack to also stop laughing.

"Hear what?" He questioned. I held up my hand, signalling him to be silent. After a moment, I heard it again. It sounded like dust – possibly small rocks – falling. I slowly raised my body to peek over the couch. I found that the noise was coming from the fireplace. I felt anticipation envelop me as I watched puffs of soot fall from inside the chimney. Suddenly, a hand pulled me back, so I was no longer able to see the living room.

"Hey, wha-"

"Shhh!" Jack hushed, putting his index finger over his mouth. "He's here," Jack whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear. I nodded in understanding, slowly leaning my back against the wall, making myself comfortable. I stared at the top of the leather couch in front of me, tempted to take a peek. The feeling only increased when I heard the sound of something landing on the floor. Slow footsteps could be heard, making their way around the room. I heard some shuffling noises, followed by the slight rustle of leaves. The leaves of our Christmas tree. I couldn't help the gleeful smile that spread across my face. It suddenly dropped as I heard the unmistakable crunch of a cookie. I glanced at Jack, only to see the devilish smile had returned. It would only be a matter of seconds before one of the most beloved childhood figures would take a sip of the horrible milk and-

"PPPPFFFFFFFFFT..."

The sound of someone sputtering out liquid erupted from the room. "What the…?!" A heavy Russian accent bellowed out in frustration. In those seconds, a big heaping pile of guilt crashed down on me. My eyebrows scrunched together in concern, and my hands flew up to cover my mouth. A loud, continuous amount of laughter made itself known beside me. I turned to see Jack lying on the floor, clutching his side. I felt annoyance bubble in my stomach. It wasn't enough for me to start a brawl, and I was quickly distracted when I heard the Russian voice speak again.

"JACK!" It roared. My mind was rushing, trying to decide if I should get on Jack's case now, or apologize first. I chose the latter.

"I-I am so sorry!" I stammered as I rose from behind the couch. My breath hitched in my throat, the little kid inside me screaming in delight as I saw who I had thought didn't exist. The Santa Clause. Though I never expected him to have tattoos, it just made him even more cool. I quickly went back into apology mode as I saw the infuriated expression on his face. I walked out from behind the couch as quickly as I could, making my way over to Santa with shaking hands. "I-I apologize for my friend... I am sorry, I am so sorry... a- are you alright? I am-"

"Wait." I was cut off by him speaking. His expression had softened and turned into confusion and delight. "You can see me?" He inquired, a small smile appearing on his bearded face. I nodded quickly, intimidated by his height. "How old are you?" He questioned, seemingly forgetting the still-laughing spirit behind the couch.

"F-fifteen." I managed to say. It seemed as if my mind went on overdrive after I spoke those words. "-and I am so sorry for that. Are you okay? You can sit down if you like. I apologize for Jack's behavior... I- I bet you want some fresh milk, right? I'll go get some. I'll go get you some fresh milk." I said all too quickly, rushing towards the kitchen as fast as my feet could carry me. I actually stumbled a bit as I reached the kitchen, but quickly started up again towards the fridge. As fast as I could, without spilling anything, I grabbed the cup of fresh milk and sped back to the living room. I found Santa standing in the same spot as before, staring angrily at Jack, who had stood up from his hiding place. "Here, sit down, make yourself comfortable," I said nervously, handing the Russian the cup of fresh milk. After a moment of silence, I inwardly cursed for not introducing myself. "Oh, I am sorry... I-I'm Autumn." I said, holding my hand out. The man smiled, shaking my hand generously.

"It is very nice to meet you. I am Nicholas St. North, but you can just call me North." He said polity. "Oh, and thank you for the fresh milk," He added, taking a sip. I laughed nervously.

"Y-yeah... sorry about that. Jack can get a little... out of hand sometimes..." I said, giving Jack a glare as I finished. He replied by rolling his eyes.

"Yes, I am familiar with Jack getting out of hand," North said sternly, narrowing his eyes slightly at Jack, though they still held a small percentage of care for his fellow Guardian. Jack scoffed.

"Oh come on, I was just having some fun!" He protested, lazily making his way over. I crossed my arms, my face pointed and firm. Jack paused as he neared me. "What?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Apologize to North," I ordered. Jack sighed, and after a moment, turned to North.

"North, I'm sorry for switching your fresh milk for sour milk." He said, looking casually around the room. I smiled with satisfaction, for when he spoke, he sounded sincere.

"Thank you, Jack." North started. He then turned to me, "It seems that you really have an effect on him." He commented, raising his eyebrows in approval. I smirked, nodding my head.

"I do a pretty good job of keeping him in line. Well... sometimes," I added, wincing at the thought of what he had just accomplished.

"Autumn, it was a pleasure to meet you," North started, "but I must be on my way. Still have lots of presents to deliver."

"It was very nice to meet you too, North. Have a safe trip," I replied polity, waving my hand slightly. North turned to Jack.

"Have a nice night, Jack. Don't make too much trouble," North said, walking towards the fireplace.

"I can't promise that," Jack replied, smirking. In what seemed like less than a second, Nicholas St. North was gone. A moment passed before I turned to Jack.

"You are never doing that again. Ever." I warned, narrowing my eyes. Jack smiled.

"What? You can't tell me that wasn't hilarious," he joked, laughing lightly. I rolled my eyes.

"To me, it wasn't," I replied, though a small smile played on my lips. "Though... it was pretty cool to meet North," I added. Jack gestured a hand toward me.

"See, if I didn't prank him, you probably would never have met him tonight. You have to give me some credit for that," he explained.

"True, true," I replied, nodding my head. I yawned, covering my mouth with my hand. My body felt much heavier, and my eyelids were starting to droop. "Okay, I think it's time I hit the hay," I said, though I didn't move from my place. My limbs weren't responding to my lazy commands to walk upstairs. I shrugged, carefully lowered myself to the floor, and curled up into a ball. I heard Jack chuckling.

"Okay, well if you're so tired, you should go upstairs, in your bed," he said, nudging my leg with his staff.

"No, too tired," I replied groggily.

"Come on, I'm not just gonna leave you here on the floor," Jack said, crossing his arms. I opened one eye. After a moment, I held my arms out.

"Carry me," I ordered childishly. Jack scoffed.

"You have legs, you can walk," he retorted. I pouted my lip.

"Please?" I asked, my voice growing higher.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"..."

"..."

"Yes, please," I replied, this time sitting up, still holding my arms out. Jack sighed, rubbing his temple with his hand. After a moment, he pointed at me.

"You owe me," he said plainly. I nodded, smirking with the satisfaction of getting him to carry me. He bent down to my left, scooping me up in his arms bridal style. I securely wrapped my arms around his neck, letting my head lean against his chest, and closing my eyes. A sudden feeling of safety washed over me, but I ignored it, too tired to find the reason. He walked towards the steps, carefully making his way up them.

"God, you're like a ton of bricks..." He said exasperatedly. I scoffed.

"Please, you know I'm light as a feather," I shot back, smiling. He chuckled.

"Fine, you're right," I could hear the smile in his voice.

"I'm always right," I replied, my smile widening. He remained silent as he pushed my door open with his foot. I felt him move around the room, before being carefully placed on my bed.

"You're the best," I said appreciatively.

"I know, I know," Jack replied cockily. I opened one eye to see where he was placed, before lightly swatting his arm.

"Hey, this is how you repay me for carrying you up to your room?" He questioned.

"It's how I responded to your cockiness," I retorted, closing my eyes. A moment of silence passed, and I wondered if he had left. The thought vanished as I felt my comforter being placed over me, sealing the cold out. I smiled lightly.

"Night, Autumn," I heard Jack say.

"Night, Jack," I replied lightly, sleep washing slowly over me. Next thing I knew, I heard my window shut, and I drifted off to unconsciousness.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

\- next winter -

My body trembled as another round of coughing erupted from my lungs. I sighed heavily, lying back into the safety of my bed. My forehead was burning, a cold sweat covering every inch of my skin. My eyes could barely stay open, though I was never able to fall asleep. I groaned in frustration. All day I had been cooped up inside. Even worse, it just happened to be the one day I was excited for most. The day I had been waiting for since the air began to cool.

The first snowfall, I thought to myself. I stared longingly out of my window, gazing at the light flakes that drifted down from the white, endless sky. I had been waiting all summer and part of fall for this day. I would finally get to see my friend again.

Unlike most of my other friends, he only comes around when the air gets cold and the snow starts to fall. Mainly because he is the reason that it happens. Just thinking about him made my stomach drop. I had missed him all throughout summer, and couldn't wait to see him again. It was just my luck that I got sick. I turned my head slowly as I heard my door creak open. My mother hurriedly walked in, carrying a small bottle of cough medicine.

"Here, honey. Take this. Your coughing should go down in about... 5-10 minutes," she read from the label, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Okay," I groaned. I shakily took a hold of the bottle, frowning at the awful stench of the medicine before pouring the indicated amount into a small cup. I took a short breath, grimacing as I chugged the medicine down as quickly as possible. I scrunched my face in disgust, the fake grape flavouring of the medicine stuck in my mouth.

"Drink this," my mother said with an amused smile, handing me a glass of water. I hurriedly gulped it down, glad that most of the medicine taste had left my mouth.

"Thanks," I said heavily, offering my mother a forced smile before looking at my lap in disappointment. She sighed, rubbing small circles at the top of my back.

"I'm so sorry you're sick. I know you were really excited for today, for whatever reason," she said, adding the last part in a hushed tone. A gave her a confused look, though a smile played on my face.

"Why'd you say it like that?" I asked, chuckling a little. She shrugged, though in her eyes I could see she wasn't telling me everything.

"I don't know… It's just odd that you would be really excited for this day… and not tell me why…" She said, giving me a weird look. I furrowed my brows, not understanding where she was headed with this.

"Why do you really want to know?" I asked in a challenging tone. She held her hands up in defence.

"I don't! I don't! It's fine… You don't have to tell me," she said, sighing. She paused. "But if I need to have a talk with you about something—"

"Excuse me?" I asked loudly, almost laughing. "What do you think I had planned today?!" I exasperatedly asked her, coughing a bit. She paused, giving me a look. The kind of look that said 'you know what I'm thinking'. "Mom, just tell me, I honestly don't know where you're going with this," I said, shrugging my shoulders. She rolled her eyes in a playful manner, then quieted her voice down.

"I know you are well into the age of where girls start… taking interest in people, and I just thought maybe there was someone you aren't telling me about—"

"Mom!" I interrupted her, in turn causing her to burst out laughing. I grumpily stared at her until she calmed down. "Why are you laughing?" I asked, crossing my arms and letting out a few more coughs.

"Because it certainly seems that I've hit a nerve," she said, wiggling her eyebrows. I groaned.

"There. Is. No. One." I growled out. She shrugged her shoulders again.

"Okay, if you say so…" She paused, looking like she wanted to continue. "Are they cute?" She asked.

"Mom, he's just a friend." After I said that, I shut my mouth. I tried to look calm but I could already feel the heat rushing to my cheeks.

"So it's a guy?" She asked, a cheeky smile adorning her face. I tried to think of a way out of this.

"Mom," I began, trying to look as serious as possible while my mother, again, wiggled her eyebrows, "I am not feeling well. I would like to have some time to rest, thank you very much," I said, snuggling up into the blankets. She laughed and stood up.

"Alright, alright. I'll leave you alone. Feel better, honey." With that, she walked out of my room and closed my door. I sighed in annoyance and burrowed further into the covers, letting out a few short coughs. I have to be more careful next time, I thought to myself before sleep began tugging at my mind. I closed my eyes and drifted off.

.o.0.o.

I shivered and curled up in my bed, feeling a distinct shift in the temperature of my room. I was still dreaming, though on the edge waking up. Right in that sweet spot where you are drifting in and out of consciousness, when your bed somehow always feels the cosiest. I opened my eyes lazily as I heard a light tapping on my window. Still groggy from my nap, I just pulled my covers tighter around me and buried my head deeper into my pillow. I was startled awake by the feeling of little cold droplets hitting my exposed face, and quickly sat up in my bed. It was snowing… inside my room.

I turned to my window to find the culprit perched on my windowsill, face pressed against the glass in annoyance. The words "let me in already" were traced out in frost on the window. On most occasions, I would probably choose to further annoy my friend by pretending that I didn't see him, but this was no ordinary occasion. This was the first time I was seeing him since the end of last winter. That's what you get when you are best friends with the spirit of winter.

I ripped my covers off and moved as quickly as I could to my window, not being able to contain the huge grin growing on my face. I threw open my window and immediately began shivering, quickly grabbing a throw blanket from my bed and wrapping it around myself.

"Jack! You're-" My words were cut short by a fit of coughing. Jack flew through the open window and landed right in front of it, a look of happiness and concern on his face.

"Woh, woh there… What's going on with you? Are you sick?" He asked, crossing his arms. I rolled my eyes and pulled my blanket tighter around me.

"Yeah, wasn't it obvious when I was coughing up my lungs just now?" I joked. Seeing his smirk in return suddenly pushed me to quickly throw myself at him, wrapping my arms around him as tight as I could. It had felt like forever since I had seen that smirk; I didn't realize how much I had truly missed it until I saw it. Jack seemed taken aback, as he laughed at my sudden movement but soon returned the hug.

"See, I knew you would miss me, but I didn't know I made this much of an impression," he said. I just smiled, resting my head right below his shoulder on his chest.

"I know you missed me just as much, Jack Frost, even if you aren't saying it." I let go and pulled back, locking eyes and really noticing their striking colour. The moment was ruined as I felt another coughing fit come on.

"Oh no…" I mumbled, before backing away until I was sitting on my bed, and coughed harshly. After I was done I looked up, seeing Jack looking on with a heavily sympathetic expression.

"I must not be helping with that. You know, me being cold and all…" He put his hands in his pockets, shrugging his shoulders.

"No, no, you're fine," I replied. "I just took some cough medicine that should be kicking in soon anyway." I scooted farther onto my bed and got under my covers. Jack began lazily strolling around my room, looking at the trinkets lining some shelves, as well as some books and pictures.

"I thought something was up when you weren't at the usual spot. Jamie and Katie are out having a blast with some other kids, I know they wish you were there with them." Jack said while fiddling with a small jewellery box. I sighed, thinking about how much I wished to not be sick. It was already enough to deal with my physical limitations, so whenever I got sick it made everything else worse.

"I wish I was there too… if only there was a way to magically cure my cold," I paused. "Healing colds isn't in your power description, right?" Jack turned to me with an incredulous look on his face.

"Hate to disappoint you, but I have no such powers." I groaned and slumped back onto my pillows.

"Then all your powers are basically useless if they can't help me feel better in this exact moment," I said, shooting him a sarcastic look. Jack dramatically placed a hand over his heart, faking a deeply sad expression.

"You wound me with your words, my powers are not useless!" He spoke in a dramatic, drawling fashion. He tapped his wooden staff against a bare spot on my bedroom wall, sparking intricate frost designs to spread and cover the area. It glistened in the low glow of my bedroom and looked absolutely stunning. "Who else could craft such beauty as this! I dare you to come up with a name." Jack looked at me for my retort, but I had none. Something in me was pulling me further into my bed and pillows, and was making my eyelids feel very, very heavy…

"Do you feel tired? I feel tired…" I said, moving my head around slowly. Jack stared at me in confused shock.

"Uh… Autumn? You feeling okay?" He said, slowly moving closer to my bed. I scrunched my brows together, also confused at my own actions. I turned my head to my bedside table.

"Oh man, the cough syrup is kicking in," I said, laughing lazily. The effects weren't too bad, but it was enough to affect my focus and overall stability in acting like a completely normal human being. A large, sly grin grew quickly on Jack's face, and he started chuckling.

"Wow, this is incredible…" He moved to sit on the side of my bed. "I am going to remember every moment of this." I shook my head.

"Hey, that's not fair, I am not feeling good, it's not nice to be mean to people when they're not feeling good," I said pointing an accusatory finger towards Jack. His grin just got bigger. I started laughing as well, but stopped short and put my hand on my forehead in discomfort. All the excitement was affecting the low-grade headache that I had begun developing from my fever. Jack's laugh trailed off, and he was instead looking on with concern.

"What's wrong?" He asked, scooting closer to me. I sighed, rubbing my head.

"It's just my head… it feels too hot." I close my eyes, seeing if that would help at all. At first, it didn't. After a moment though, a wave of coolness went over my forehead, and the feeling of cold pressure immediately improved the feeling of my headache. My muscles relaxed and I leaned into the relief, sighing deeply.

"That feels… better," I said, a small grateful smile crossing my face. I opened my eyes. Jack was sitting closer, and he had placed a hand on my forehead. He smiled softly.

"Good." He stayed there for a moment, then began gently rubbing his thumb on my forehead. I closed my eyes, sighing in content, feeling my headache drift away. My eyes remained closed as the call of sleep was steadily pulling me in.

"I'm sorry I don't feel well… I wanted to spend more time with you," I said quietly, my whole body feeling like it was slowing down. The movement on my forehead temporarily stopped, then resumed almost as soon.

"It's okay, we'll get to see each other when you're feeling better," I heard Jack say. "This whole winter, I'm yours." At this point, I was crossing the fine line of drifting off to sleep, but hearing Jack say that made me smile.

"Jack?" I said softly.

"Yeah Autumn?"

"I think you are my best friend. Like in the whole world." I'm not sure if it was the excitement of seeing him again or the cough syrup, but either way, it was true. I had been waiting for the first day of cold weather and snow for what seemed like forever, and it was because ever since Jack Frost left at the beginning of last spring I had always felt like I was… missing something. Seeing him again made me realize what it was: I didn't have my best friend with me.

"Autumn?" Jack finally spoke. It was soft. My eyes fluttered open as much as they could. "You are my best friend too." The words held so much truth and vulnerability, I couldn't help the warm smile and slight blush that tinted my cheeks, although it probably didn't make a huge difference as my face was already red from the fever. Jack smiled. Not smirked, actually smiled. "Now get better already, so I can spend time with you without worrying that you're gonna crack a rib from coughing too much," Jack said, chuckling lightly. I grinned happily, and let my eyes close as they had been begging me to do. With those words, I fell into a calm sleep. I didn't see when Jack left. At one point, I felt a distinct, soft kiss to my forehead, and I thought that it must have been my mom coming in to check up on me. Only, it was a strangely cold kiss, but I wasn't awake enough to think about it much more. I dreamt about all the things I would get to do this winter with my best friend when I was finally feeling better.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

\- next winter -

The day had been unusually sunny throughout, though the ground was covered in snow. Perfect piles of the stuff lined the sidewalk and glistened brilliantly as I walked past, but I wasn't as captivated by them as I usually was. I had a weird day. I must have been hiding it well though because my friend, Nia, was chatting on and on about preparing for college applications next year.

"Hey, Autumn, is something bothering you?" Nia suddenly slowed down and looked at me with concern. Maybe I wasn't hiding it as well as I thought.

"Oh, no, everything is fine," I said, trying and failing to sound convincing. I don't know why I lied. I guess I just wasn't sure how to talk about what I was feeling. Nia raised one brow, giving me a look that only a friend could understand, where I already knew what she was about to say before she said it.

"Come on, Autumn. Don't do this again. You can't be the only one who solves people's problems, it's your turn to ask for advice," she said jokingly. I sighed in defeat, as I knew she was right. I was always the first one to notice when someone I knew was out of sorts, and usually the first one they came to to open up. I wasn't great at doing the opposite.

"It's… complicated. I don't even fully understand it," I began. Nia and I slowed down and sat on a wooden bench that we had come across. She looked at me, giving me her full attention. "I have been feeling weird with Andy."

"Really? It seems like you guys are doing great!" She was trying to be supportive, but it didn't help. Andy was a boy I had met at the beginning of last summer, and we had quickly begun dating. It was my first real relationship, and most of the time everything was great. We had similar interests, we got along well, but recently… there were things about him that I couldn't quite explain that I didn't care for. Oddly, they weren't things that I didn't like. It just seemed like I was always expecting more from him, and being let down.

"I don't know, Nia. Lately I've just been feeling…" I tried to search for the right words. "Unsatisfied by him, you know?" I turned to her, the look on my face slightly desperate as I tried to explain the messy, jumbled feelings I had. She paused, thinking for a moment, before slowly looking at me side-eyed.

"Autumn… You don't mean…" She had a mischievous tone, and was growing an uncomfortable grin.

"Mean what?" I asked, not following. She wiggled her eyebrows. "Wait, Nia!" I exclaimed, my face bursting with color. She just threw her head back and laughed wildly and my uncomfortableness. "I can't believe that's what you thought I meant!"

"You said you were unsatisfied by him! What else was I supposed to think?" She retorted. I realized my mistake and began giggling at myself.

"Oh my gods… I am so bad at explaining this," I said through light laughs. They died down quickly though, as all my uncertain feelings came back. "I'm just really confused about what I'm even trying to say. I feel like I can't even name a specific thing that is wrong," I said, slumping in my seat. I let out a short breath, annoyed at all the confusion I was experiencing. Nia looked on empathetically, and put an arm around my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Autumn. That must be frustrating," she started. I looked up at her. "Maybe you should take time to sort out your feelings first before you do anything, to make sure you understand everything before you do something you regret," she added. I thought about it for a moment, and straightened up.

"You're right. I just have to spend some time figuring this out." I turned my body to face hers, and reached out in a warm embrace. "Thank you for listening, and thank you for the advice." She gladly returned the hug, smiling as she replied.

"Of course! I'm glad I could help," she said, then pulled away. She tilted her head forward and looked at me with sudden seriousness. "But remember, I always have your back, and whatever you decide to do I support you. Got it?" My face erupted in a large grin, as I felt so grateful to have someone as caring as Nia to call my good friend.

"Thank you," I said, trying to convey my deep gratitude through those few words. Our hands returned to our sides and we both stood up. "Now let's get going, we gotta finish that project that's due tomorrow." We contained down the street towards her house. With a newfound lightness in my step, the glorious snow seemed much brighter and noticeable around me, reminding me to pay a visit to another friend of mine soon.

.o.0.o.

"Bye Nia! See you tomorrow!" I called over my shoulder as I walked down the steps of my friend's house. I started in the direction of my house when something suddenly caught my eye. Little, delicate snowflakes tumbled softly from the sky. I stopped in my tracks and watched them for a moment. Their presence reminded me that I owed someone a visit, so I changed my direction of travel, and headed towards a familiar field in the middle of town. I wasn't sure if this someone was expecting a visit, but I was just going to see what happened. After all, there isn't really a reliable form of communication with the spirit of winter besides just coming across him.

As I arrived at the field, my sights were set on the small woods beyond. I picked up my pace a bit, anticipating seeing my best friend again. It had been 2 years now since I first met Jack Frost, and it felt like the time had flown by. I was just a freshman in high school when I had met him, thanks to the persistence of a young boy, Jamie, I had met soon before, who convinced me - along with a sweet girl named Katie - that Jack existed. Before then I had no idea that beings like him were actually real, including figures such as Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy. Monumental symbols of childhood that I had actually been able to meet, all thanks to Jack. My first meeting with North - yes, I'm on a first name basis with Santa Clause - was not… ideal. It was right after Jack and I played a pretty sour prank on him. I still stand by the claim that Jack had coerced me into participating with weeks of begging and pleading. The second time I met North was under much better circumstances. The following Christmas, I had prepared an extra special midnight snack for him and had a lovely, yet brief, conversation with him to make up for the previous year. I met the Tooth Fairy because my next door neighbor's daughter had lost her first tooth, and Jack stayed up with me to watch her work. Jack then called her over and introduced me, to my disbelief, and I was truly starstruck. The Tooth Fairy - whose name is, not surprisingly, Tooth - had the most brilliant, colorful and iridescent feathers covering her body. She also had the cutest helpers who looked like tiny versions of herself. She is by far the nicest guardian I have met, though Sandy is a close second.

I met him one magical night by myself, on accident. I was having a spectacular dream, but something in me was pulling me to wake up. When I did, I was astonished to find breathtakingly beautiful streams of glowing, golden sand swirling in my room. They led outside my open window, and I had leapt out of bed to see where they led. When I saw Sandy floating on a golden cloud down the street, I instantly knew who he was by the stories Jack had told me. As I was gazing, awestruck, at him, he noticed me and floated over. We had a lovely conversation, although it was tricky at times to understand what he said, as he talked through symbols that he made appear above his head. He made sure to go slow so I could eventually understand. He told me that he was surprised that I could see him, and I told him that it was all thanks to Jack. He seemed to find it very interesting, but wonderful, and told me to say hello the next time I saw my friend. When he drifted away, I had one of the most restful nights of sleep that I had had in a long time.

It took a few meetings with the Easter Bunny to actually have a decent interaction and conversation, no thanks to Jack. The first time I had met him, the moment was ruined by Jack playing a dumb prank, and it really riled the Easter Bunny up. It was obvious to me that the two of them really knew how to push each other's buttons, and did so frequently. He later introduced himself as E. Aster Bunnymund, but told me to call him Bunny. This was during a time where Jack was not around, because of the change of the seasons, so I was not interrupted by any pranks or acts of mischief that would have put Bunny in a bad mood. He turned out to be really cool, and very nice and uplifting to talk to. I've been told that his duty is to spread hope, and it really came through in casual conversation.

In all my life, I never had expected to meet these otherworldly beings, and to realize that they aren't so otherworldly. The most "otherworldly" character that Jack had told me about was the Man in the Moon. A distant but ever watching presence that had since come to be a strangely persistent comforting figure in my life, even though I never have and probably won't ever have an actual conversation with him. Since learning about him, every eery night turned into a safe calmness with him shining down. I would never tell Jack this, but I have had a few one-sided conversations with him myself. Knowing that there actually is something looking down on you, especially when you need someone to talk to, would bring anyone to spend some evenings quietly talking to the sky, hoping that that being is listening.

I was pulled out of my deep thoughts when I suddenly realized that I had walked father that I had planned into the woods without being aware of it. I signed in annoyance, wishing that I had been watching where I was going. 'He better be here…' I thought to myself. It would suck if I had walked all this way only to find that my friend was not here. I began looking around, in the sky, in the trees; anywhere I knew that he would sometimes hang out.

"Jack! Are you out here?" I yelled out into the woods. Only the soft whistling of the wind answered me. I sighed. "Please be out here! I walked all this way! It was very tiring!" I began lazily turning in circles. "Your best friend needs you!"

As if on cue, I felt the wind pick up slightly. I smiled as I felt the temperature take a sudden but slight drop.

"There's only so much of me to go around, I'm not always going to be at your beck and call." I turned around swiftly to find Jack standing with his arm draped on his staff, sporting his usual smirk. I rolled my eyes, but let myself smile.

"I'm sorry, did you have something better to do?" I said, while approaching him.

"Just the usual, you know. Spreading fun and joy to all of the children of the world. No big deal," he said, sarcastically shrugging his shoulders. I gave him a playful nudge on his arm before pulling him into a tight hug. I had really missed him this summer. He generously returned the embrace. "What, first you nudge me, then you hug me? I'm getting mixed emotions here," he joked. I couldn't help but laugh at his constant sarcasm. It seemed like he couldn't turn it off sometimes.

"Shut up and just hug me," I demanded. He chuckled a bit, but said nothing more. We enjoyed a few more moments of the embrace, as if we were making up for the lost time. I pulled back after a while. "It's really good to see you, Jack." He smiled down at me with genuine giddiness.

"It's good to be back here," he said, "with you." I smiled at his response, the feeling warming my heart deep in it's core.

"Alright, time to catch up!" I said, letting go of him and walking towards a tree. I slowly sat down and patted the ground next to me. Jack came over and sat down, and we both leaned our backs against the trunk. The next few hours didn't feel like they were attached to any measurement of time, as they were filled to the brim of Jack and I sharing story and after story about everything that had happened since we last saw each other. After a while, I began breaching the subject of what was bothering me earlier that I had discussed with Nia. Jack seemed surprised when I told him I had been dating someone throughout summer.

"You've been… dating someone," he said, almost confused. I looked at him strangely, laughing lightly.

"Yes, I have. Is there something wrong with that?" I asked in a playfully accusing tone. Jack seemed to slightly tense up, though I almost didn't notice it.

"No, no, there's nothing wrong with it. I'm just… surprised, I guess." I continued my stare, this time furrowing my brows.

"What, you don't think anyone would be interested in me?" He shook his head, laughing a bit nervously.

"That is not what I said!" He slumped his shoulders and narrowed his eyes when I started laughing loudly, although he had a smirk. "Look, I'm just a bit taken aback, that's all. I mean, you haven't really talked about this kind of stuff with me before." I quieted down, and thought for a moment.

"I guess so, though I know I've talked to you before about boys," I said, thinking back to the times that I first divulged my experiences with crushes and the like to Jack. It was a very embarrassing conversation, but a fun one to have nonetheless.

"Sure, but those were just… crushes. Nothing about actually dating someone," he said, almost confused at his own reaction.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later," I commented. He paused at that for a moment.

"You're right," he finally said. I turned, watching his expression. I couldn't quite determine what it was. Before I could dwell on it longer, it changed, and he looked at me. "So, what about this guy? He must be something special for you to date him, I know you set some high standards," he joked, referencing our past discussions about my nonexistent love life. I had (at my own embarrassment) divulged the list I had made when I was younger that had all of the requirements I had deemed necessary for my first boyfriend to have. Of course, coming from the mind of a middle-schooler, the list was a bit ridiculous. Jack had used it as teasing material for weeks after that.

"He's… great. Things are fine," I said, shrugging. I could hear how insincere I sounded. Jack picked up on it as well, as he sat up a bit from his spot.

"Don't tell me, he is not the knight in shining armor you had been dreaming of since the 7th grade…" He trailed off as he saw me start to reach over to lightly punch his arm. "Hey! Hey, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said. I crossed my arms and let out a huff. "Please, tell me what's going on. It seems like something is on your mind." Jack's tone was suddenly calm and serious. This wasn't necessarily unusual for him at this point in our friendship, but it definitely did not come out as much as his sarcasm did. I looked down at my crossed legs and started fiddling with my snow boots.

"Well… I don't know," I started. "That's the thing: I don't know." I lifted my head to look at him, noticing how his eyes seemed to stare past my own, beyond the surface. "I've been trying to figure it out all day, but I haven't been able to come up with anything. He is a nice guy, and we get along great, it's just…" I looked back down. "It feels like something is missing."

"Like what is missing?" Jack asked quietly. I turned to him, narrowing my eyes in thought.

"It's hard to explain. I just have been feeling like when I am with him, I am always wanting or expecting more. I don't know if it's because we still don't know each other extremely well, or that we don't always spend a lot of time together, and when we do I always find myself thinking about other things and other people…" I trailed off, loosing myself in my own thoughts. It felt as if I was on to something, but I still hadn't gotten to the bottom of it.

"You know," Jack started, suddenly pulling me from my thoughts. He looked like he was choosing his words carefully, like he was thinking deeply about what he wanted to say. "I'm sorry that it's been hard for you trying to figure out what you feel is wrong. Maybe you aren't the only one feeling this way, though. Maybe you should talk to this guy about it, honestly." I turned away from Jack, thinking about what he was saying. I hadn't thought to bring it to Andy before I understood, but maybe he was the person I needed to talk to the most about all of this. "And whatever happens, I think that you should do whatever you think is best for you." This made me turn to look at Jack, who had a very sincere expression on his face. "You're my best friend, and I just want you to be happy." Jack paused for a moment after he finished, then looked down, moving his staff around in the snow in front of him. I wrapped my arms around him, resting my head on his shoulder. He seemed a little startled by the unexpected affection, but quickly returned it.

"Thank you, Jack. It means a lot," I said into his frosted hoodie. Hearing him say that he just wanted me to be happy no matter what sparked a contagious warmth inside me.

"Any time, Autumn. I might even be better at giving advice than you are," he said, causing me to pull back revealing the usual smirk plastered on his face again.

"I wouldn't go that far, buddy. You have a lot to learn from the advice-giving master," I said, theatrically motioning to myself. He chuckled.

"Do I now?" I nodded matter-of-factly.

"Yes, that is correct. I could begin teaching you my tricks while you walk me home," I said, moving to stand up. Before I could, Jack was already swept up by the wind, and was standing in front of me holding out a hand. I smiled gratefully as I took it, standing up much easier with the assistance.

"Well, then we better get started if I am to one day surpass your abilities," he joked, strutting ahead of me. I laughed as I caught up with him. We took our time walking out of the woods, enjoying each other's company.

.o.0.o.

School had just got out, and I was walking with a more confident stride than I had been the past few days. What a whirlwind they had been. After my conversation with Jack, I had decided to bring up my concerns with Andy directly. It… did not go well.

Well, not at first. Now I was feeling lighter than air, like I had shed a bunch of dead weight I didn't know I was dragging around. I smiled to myself and perked up my posture as I heard Jamie and his friends shouting from around the corner, probably in their usual spot. I had assumed correctly, as he and a group of kids were taking turns sliding down a small mound of snow on their sleds. I crossed the street, heading towards them. Jamie spotted me before I reached them, and waved.

"Autumn! Come on, join us!" He was in his usual high-energy, bubbly state that never seemed to falter in all the time that I knew him. It was weird to think that he was going to start high school next year, as I remember when he had first introduced himself to me when he was only 12 years old. Same with Katie, who had really grown out of her shell over the years. She was more outgoing than the shy girl I had met on a sidewalk bench. She was standing behind Jamie in the line to sled down the snow mound, and waved when she saw me.

"Autumn! It's been a minute! What's up?" She stepped out of her place in line to greet me, as I had finally made it to where they were all gathered.

"Oh, nothing much," I replied. Katie shot me a suspicious look, the corners of her mouth slowly turning up. "What?" I asked her.

"You seem especially happy about something," she answered. "Did something happen?" She questioned, pressing out of obvious curiosity. I couldn't help the large grin that spread over my face. Katie's eyes got bigger. "Autumn, tell me what happened!" I laughed at her excitement.

"Really, Katie. It's not a big deal," I said, trying to calm her down.

"Alright, alright," she said, holding her hands up. "Still, I want to know."

"Okay, if you really want to know… I broke up with my boyfriend." Katie's eyes double in size, her jaw dropping slightly.

"You what?" She questioned, her voice a bit louder than it should be to not draw attention. I shook my head at her reaction, chuckling a bit.

"Really, Katie, everything is fine. It's… amazing, actually," I said. That was the honest truth. Katie grabbed my arm and led me away from the group so that we had a bit more privacy before turning to me.

"Tell me everything," she said with more seriousness than I expected. I remember when I was her age and I started becoming interested in relationships. The idea of them sounded dramatic and exciting, and I jumped at the chance to hear about the ones that involved people I knew.

"What happened is actually not that complicated," I started. Katie stared at me intently, taking in every word that I said. "I had been feeling like something was off with me and Andy recently, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I got some advice from different friends, but it really wasn't until I talked to Jack that I realized that I should confront Andy directly about it. When I did today at lunch, he did not react well." When I said this, Katie leaned in closer, as if she was on the edge of her seat watching an exciting movie. I continued, "He just got very defensive. He dismissed what I was feeling, and told me that it didn't matter because he wanted us to be in a relationship. I knew that I had to break up with him after that, so I did. Right then."

"Wow, that is wild," Katie said, sighing as she took in the information. Then she looked at me curiously. "What exactly was it that he said that was the final straw? I mean when was the moment that you knew that you needed to break up?" I paused for a moment, seeing how invested she was in the story.

"Well, he didn't care about what I wanted, or how I felt. He didn't care about what made me happy." I paused, smiling as I thought back to Jack and I's conversation the other day. "It really stood out to me, because if he really cared about me, he would want me to do what was best for me. No matter what." Katie seemed to soak up the information, nodding her head in approval.

"That is so awesome for you to stick up for yourself, Autumn," she said, a wide grin adorning her face.

"Thanks, Katie. Really, I have Jack to thank. He was the one that reminded me what it means to really care about someone," I said, absentmindedly glancing over at the woods fondly as I spoke. I turned back to Katie and noticed a strange look in her face. "What?" I asked. She shrugged, not covering up her odd behavior very well.

"It's nothing…" She was avoiding my gaze. Before I could question her more a voice called over to us from the group of kids sledding.

"Hey! You're missing out on some prime sledding over here!" Jamie called to us from where he had just landed his sled, dusting off some show from his pants before walking back towards the line of kids.

"Wanna head over?" I asked Katie. She nodded, and we began walking back. I still couldn't wipe the stupid grin that had settled on my face from the events that unfolded today. Letting go of someone who really didn't care about me because of the support of someone who truly did. It brought electric pangs of happiness to my chest, and I couldn't wait until the next time I got to see my best friend.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Nicolas St. North was working in his private study, listening to his old records. He lugged a huge ice block onto a wooden desk, all the while humming to the music. He grabbed a heavy tool that sat on the desk, lifting it above his head and bringing it down on a corner of the ice block.d

"...dun dun dun DUN DUN!" He sung loudly, increasing his voice with the music. The ice he chopped off crumbled to the floor, splitting into millions of pieces. He carefully grabbed a small tool, placing it on the ice block.

"...dun dun dun dun DUN DUN! DUN!" He yelled, hitting the top of the small tool with a tiny hammer. He chipped away at the ice at an alarming rate. Soon, it what seemed like a matter of seconds, he had sculpted a track. It even had it's own stands filled with a screaming audience.

"...DUN! Dun dun dun DUN! DUN!" He bellowed, chipping at another piece of ice. Moving with amazing speed, he carved a small racing car from the ice. He soon replicated it, but added different designs. He placed the two cars eagerly on the track, watching with wonder as the cars came to life. They raced down the track, both fighting for 1st place. North sat back in a large rolling chair, admiring his work with glee.

"Ha ha! Isn't it wonderful!?" He asked the elves, who were trying to pick up the scattered pieces of ice. Although, it kept slipping from their grasps, as the pieces had begun to melt. One elf had finally had enough, and threw a piece of ice down in fury, hobbling over to a plate of cookies, and taking a large bight out of a tree-shaped sugar cookie. As the cars neared the finish line, North snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the cars flew off the track, continuing their race in the air. North laughed heartily, overjoyed at his toy's success. The cars flew across the room, switching places from 1st to 2nd in the blink of an eye. North leaned forward in his seat, watching with excitement to see which car would finish 1st. One of the cars gained speed, and was soon taking the lead by storm.

"Yes! Go- uh..." North paused, as he hadn't color coated the cars. "Go car in 1st place!" The leading car was making the second turn, racing past the door. Suddenly, the wooden door flew open, breaking the car into tiny pieces. North stood up in shock, his hand flying up to grasp his forehead.

"No!" He yelled in annoyance. The yeti that had opened the door jumped back in shock, covering his mouth with his hands.

"Oohh!" It shakily said, waving it's hands back and forth in worry. North looked at the yeti, his faced flushed.

"Phil! How could you?! I even put up sign so you don't crush toys any more!" He bellowed, his Russian accent showing through strongly. He pointed a large finger at the door, which held a hand-written sign.

CAUTION!

Please knock before entering,

as you may crush flying toys

that North worked very hard on!

The yeti made a jumble of noises, which North understood as words of apology. He sighed, rubbing his temple.

"Fine, fine, I forgive you Phil. Now, what was so important you had to barge in and crush toy?" He asked, lifting his eyebrow. The yeti nodded his head once, before reaching for something behind him. When he dragged it into the study, North saw that it wasn't a something, more of a someone. North smiled, happy his fellow Guardian decided to pay him a visit.

"Jack! How are you?" He greeted loudly, smiling at the Winter Spirit. Jack rubbed the place on his arm where Phil the yeti had grabbed him at.

"Well, I was doing fine, until Phil forgot that I'm now a Guardian and don't need to sneak in anymore," Jack said, giving the yeti a glare. Phil just huffed, narrowing his eyes at Jack before storming out of the room. North sighed.

"Sorry Jack. Phil is... still getting used to having you around," he said, keeping his laughter on the inside. Jack shrugged, pushing aside the subject for now. "So, what brings you here?" North asked, sitting back in his comfortable chair. Jack smiled, his mood instantly brightened.

"I actually came for some advice," he replied, casually twirling his staff in the air. While twirling the staff, he accidentally froze a cookie that was currently in the hands of an elf. The elf opened his mouth to lick the cookie, only to have his tongue frozen to the treat. He desperately tried pulling it off, but couldn't succeed. North's face brightened even more, proud to have someone ask him for advice.

"Yes, what advice do you need?" He inquired, leaning back in the chair.

"It's right up your alley, North... I need help finding the right Christmas gift for someone," Jack said, leaning on his staff. North stood up with excitement.

"Yes! I can definitely help with that! Who is the gift for?" He asked, his mind thinking of all the possibilities of the right present.

"It's for Autumn," Jack said, his eyes seemingly shining brighter at the mention of her name. A knowing smile grew on North's face. He slowly sat down back in his chair.

"Ahh... so it's for Autumn." North gave Jack a peculiar look. Although North couldn't tell, Jack felt like he was a deer in front of headlights.

"Yeah... so?" He asked, acting as though the look on North's face didn't bother him. North chuckled.

"So... what kind of gift are you thinking of? What sort of toys does she like?" North asked, trying to seem innocent. Jack was unaware of where he was going, and looked at him like he had lost his mind.

"I'm not getting her a toy! She's not a little kid," he said defensively. North pretended to look like he had forgotten.

"Oh, of course not. What about some... clothing maybe?" He suggested, raising an eyebrow. Jack shook his head, deep in thought.

"No... Something more... special," he emphasized. North's smile only grew.

"What about... jewelry?" North asked, waiting for the answer he hoped to hear. Jack's face brightened.

"Perfect!" He exclaimed, standing straighter. He slumped back against his staff after a moment, eyebrows narrowed in concentration. "But what does she like?" He questioned himself out loud.

"What about necklace?" North questioned, already thinking ahead of some options Jack could choose from. Jack suddenly stood straight, a smile stretched wide across his face.

"Thats it! She is always talking about finding the perfect necklace to wear everyday," Jack said excitedly, walking back and forth. North chuckled, standing from his seat. He was glad to see his friend happy, and wanted to do what he could to help him. He walked across the room, with Jack still smiling like an idiot in the middle of the floor. North reached a large shelf, which held a couple of drawers at the bottom. Sliding one of them open carefully, he pulled out a thin, long box. He walked over to the wooden table, placing it delicately on the surface. Jack walked up next to him, curious about what North was bringing out. North turned to Jack, his hand resting gently on the box.

"Jack, as fellow Guardian, I feel it is my duty to help you," he said genuinely, slowly opening the long box. Jack smiled at North, even if he had no idea what he meant. His eyes widened as he gazed at the occupants of the box. There were several delicate necklaces resting peacefully on a thin, velvet pad that covered the bottom of the box. Each one was unique, not one alike in any way.

"North, these are beautiful, but what I don't get is why you randomly have a box of necklaces in your study," Jack inquired, looking at North questioningly. North signed, rubbing his forehead.

"Well, around Christmas I am so busy worrying about getting children their presents, sometimes I don't get to finding gifts for Mrs. North's relatives that just have to visit here every year," he said, rolling his eyes at the thought. "Do they have to come here? No! But Mrs. North insists that they stay with us and crowd up my workshop so I barely have space to make tiny figurine." He held his hand up with his thumb and pointer finger close together to articulate just how tiny he was talking about. "I keep secret stash of gifts so if I forget, I have backup plan. If I had a nickel for every time I forgot to think of something special and unique for one of my wife's lovely sisters, I would be richer than rich! One time, I had just finished very last present..." North rambled on, recalling one of the times his hidden presents had saved him from his wife's wrath. Though he wasn't trying to be rude, Jack couldn't help but tune out most of North's story. His booming voice was completely cut off from Jack when his eyes landed on a necklace. He had completely stopped moving, and just stared at it. It had a short silver chain, that lead to a little diamond covered snowflake. He smiled to himself, as he couldn't have imagined a more perfect gift. He gently picked it up, examining it more closely.

"...And I rushed to my study so fast I- Oh! I see you have picked one!" North bellowed, cutting himself off from his story. Jack didn't even glance in his direction, as he was still closely examining the necklace. He simply nodded absentmindedly. North pulled his office chair behind him, sitting himself comfortably in it. He tried to contain his smile.

"So what made you choose that one?" He asked casually. Jack didn't reply. "Jack?" North questioned, raising his eyebrow. Jack continued to ignore him, still staring at the gift in his hands. "Hello?" North drew out, leaning forward to wave his hand in front of Jack's face. The spirit blinked, then looked over at his older companion.

"What?" He asked obliviously. North chuckled, rocking back in his chair.

"Oh, is nothing," he said, waving his hand, "I just remember what it was like to be in your position." Jack scrunched his brows, turning back to continue examining the necklace, absentmindedly asking, "What position?"

"You know, to be young and in love! So beautiful! I remember when I first met-"

"What?!" North was cut off, and had to work tremendously hard at holding in a laugh at the utter shock on his fellow Guardian's face. Jack couldn't believe what he had just heard. He couldn't understand how North could think that he was… It just wasn't true. Couldn't be true.

"Jack, my friend, it is okay! It is a wonderful thing!" North stood up, walking over to the stunned Winter Spirit, clapping a hand on his shoulder. Jack struggled to put a sentence together.

"North, you… are mistaken. I don't know why you would think I am…" He couldn't quite finish. North raising his brows jumpstarted Jack's defenses, and he began pacing back and forth. "Autumn is my best friend! Yeah, sure, I really care about her, but why wouldn't I? I mean she is kind, thoughtful, strong…" He stopped when he saw North nodding his head, as if Jack was proving his own point. "She is a million things, but she is my friend," he emphasized, trying to really make his point clear. North raised a finger, tilting his head.

"Ah, but is that all you want her to be?" He questioned, looking intently for Jack's reaction.

"I-" Jack abruptly stopped, realizing that he didn't know how he wanted to finish his answer. His own silence surprised him, and he looked down at the necklace he had picked out. "I want her to be happy," he finally said. North let out a loud sigh, slumping into his chair.

"Wow, my friend… you are in deep," he said, shaking his head. Jack looked back at him, this time not saying anything to the contrary.

He almost couldn't fully believe it, but he realized that he would be lying to himself if he said he didn't care for Autumn as more than a friend. All he could think about was her smile. Not her usual smile, the one that she just carried with her everywhere she went. He was thinking about the smile she reserved for him. The one that came out during the late nights they spent together in the winter, wether she was able to sneak out for a night time stroll or he was able to sneak in her bedroom window. It usually came out after the 3rd hour or so of them being together, typically after the point in the evening where they had cracked their souls wide open and went back and forth sharing deep inner thoughts and feelings. She would always thank him after he shared something; thank him for trusting her enough. And she would smile.

"I…" Jack started speaking before he knew where he was going. "What do I do?" It was a simple question, but the most honest one. North smiled fondly, happy that his friend was finally becoming aware of what everyone else already saw. He stood up from his chair and walked over to Jack.

"The best thing you can do is be honest with her," North started, speaking softly and seriously, "Tell her how you feel." Jack looked away from North's intense stare, and landed on the snowflake necklace still in his hands. He moved it side to side, watching the crystals shift beautifully in the light. Jack couldn't imagine telling Autumn how he felt so soon after figuring it out himself; he barely had any time to settle in to it. But the thought of holding it in for longer worried him even more. He realized that he had been holding it in for a while, and that today was simply the first day he acknowledged it. Every time his breath hitched in his throat when he saw her, every pang of hurt he felt when she talked about her crushes, every time he regretted letting go of her so soon after they embraced should have screamed at him how he felt about her: he was in love.

Jack closed his hand around the necklace, holding onto it tightly. He looked up at North with a newfound determination, the corners of his mouth shifting up in an excited smile. His eyes twinkled expressively, and he patted North's arm.

"I'm gonna do it," he said simply, before turning around and walking out of the study with purpose. North's eyebrows shot up. A wide smile overtook his face, a few loud chuckles escaping.  
"Yes! Go, Jack!" He stood back, scrunching his eyebrows in fondness, and wiped a rogue tear that had slipped out of his eye. "Young love… so wonderful! Yes?" He turned to one of the elves on the ground. It looked up at him, startled and unaware of what North had actually said, but nodded his head furiously nonetheless.

As Jack left the workshop, he couldn't control the goofy smile that looked like it was stamped on his face. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so excited for something… or someone.

Here goes nothing…


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

I opened the door to my bedroom and walked slowly in, tired from the evening out I just had with my good friends Nia and Avery. We had all gone out to dinner and then saw a movie. It was a big budget action movie, which aren't always my favorite movies to watch, but it was pretty entertaining. If anything, it was fun because my friends and I poked fun at it while watching. When you are with people you love, you can turn any situation into a fun one. I let my purse slump off of my shoulder and tossed it on my desk. While walking to my bed I slipped my boots off each foot, and fell on my mattress once I got to it. I hadn't even taken off my coat, but I didn't care in that moment. It was normal for me to get extremely tired after nights like these; with my limitations, everything took more energy from me than it would from the average person. I sighed deeply as I sank into my bed, and told myself that I would get up in a few minutes to get ready for bed. A few moments later I was startled out of my meditative state by something tapping on my window. I shot up from my bed, whipping my head to face my window, causing my long hair to fly around my head, some of it covering my face in a way that made it look like I slept on it wrong. To my surprise, I found none other than Jack Frost, the spirit of winter, hovering outside of my window. This might come as more of a shock to someone else, but this was not the first time this has happened. He was, after all, my best friend. Though, it was still confusing; I wasn't sure what he was doing here unannounced.

I stood up from my bed and walked over to my window, opening it wide enough for him to fit through. As he flew in, I held quite a confused expression, and I tilted my head to the side.

"Hey Autumn how's it going," Jack suddenly said, landing on my bedroom carpet, acting almost jumpy. This confused me even more, and got me curious about what was going on with him.

"Hi, Jack," I started, eyeing him strangely. He wasn't quite looking me in the eye, and also kept fidgeting. "What are you doing here? We hadn't planned to hang out until tomorrow," I continued. He rubbed the back of his neck, still looking anywhere except directly at me.

"Oh, nothing, I was just in the neighborhood, so, you know…" He trailed off, and began pacing around my room slowly, with both of his hands in his pockets. I opened my mouth but no words came out. I was so perplexed by his behavior, as I had never witnessed him act this way. I turned and closed my window after realizing I had left it open. After a moment of watching Jack move around my room, looking at random things on my shelves, I walked over to him slowly. He almost didn't notice me until I put a hand on his arm, stopping him in his tracks. He turned his head quickly towards me, finally looking me in the eyes for the first time since he arrived. There was a very strange look in them, and I couldn't figure out it was.

"Jack, are you okay?" I asked quietly, rubbing his arm affectionately. It almost looked like his eyelashes fluttered at the touch, but just as I thought I noticed it he turned and walked away from me. I watched as he went over to my bed and sat on the edge, debating whether I should feel hurt by his odd behavior. I took my time walking towards him. "Hey, whatever is going on, you can tell me." I was standing in front of him at this point, and tried to catch his gaze. After a few moments, he met my gaze. A small smile formed, and I could see his muscles relax slightly.

"It's okay, nothing is wrong. I know it probably doesn't seem that way but…" He trailed off. A moment later he reached for my hands, pulling me to sit next to him. I raised my brows at this. It absolutely seemed like something was wrong, even if he wouldn't admit it. "It's just, I came here for an important reason. I-I couldn't wait until tomorrow," he said. I leaned my head forward in curiosity, chuckling a bit at the strangeness of the whole situation.

"Well, don't leave me hanging. What is it?" I pressed, determined to understand what was going on. This was a side of Jack that I had never seen before. For a few moments, he said nothing, but he held my gaze, which was an improvement to how he was acting shortly before. It even seemed like he tried talking a few times, but no words came out.

"I… had to tell you something," he finally said. I nodded my head, anticipation eating away at me.

"Yes, yes, what is it? The anticipation is killing me!" I joked, trying to lighten the mood. Jack rolled his eyes, smirking. Then he opened his mouth, as if to finally reveal what was going on, but stopped. I could see conflict in his eyes, though I had no idea what it was about. He looked down at my hands, which he was still holding,

"I came here to tell you that… that…" He paused, then looked up. I could suddenly see that something had shifted. He let go of one of my hands and reached into his pocket. "I got you something," he said, smiling softly. "Think of it as an early Christmas present." He pulled his hand out of his pocket, and placed something delicate in my hand. I looked down and gasped lightly. It was a gorgeously crafted necklace with a snowflake pendant. There were what looked to be little diamonds arranged on the pendant, and they sparkled beautifully in the dim lighting. I felt a lump form in the back of my throat and my heart skipped a few beats. I turned the necklace side to side, admiring the detail. I looked up at Jack, my jaw slightly dropped from shock. He met my gaze steadily, and I couldn't help but feel like I could almost fall into the depths of his eyes. There was something about the intimacy of that moment that made butterflies erupt in my stomach. I felt a light blush start to form on my cheeks, and I quickly looked back down at the necklace.

"Jack…" I began, shaking my head slightly. "It's beautiful." I was able to look up at him again, a bright smile beginning to form on my face. Jack smiled brilliantly.

"You really like it?" He asked. I scoffed at his question.

"Do I really like it? How could I not!" I exclaimed, laughing. "It's so… thoughtful, Jack. I… thank you," I said. I suddenly had the urge to put it on, and brought the piece of jewelry around my neck. I was fumbling with the clasp when Jack raised his arms.

"Here, let me help." He reached around my neck and took the clasp from my hands. He leaned in closer to secure the necklace around my neck, furrowing his eyebrows in concentration. Something was not allowing me to look away from him, and it almost felt harder to breath with him so close. What is going on with me… I had never been so flustered with being in close proximity to Jack. In fact, we had become significantly comfortable with each other's personal space over the years. But for some reason, in this moment, with his face so close to mine I could almost feel him exhaling, I felt like I was getting lightheaded.

"There we go," he muttered, before letting go of the necklace and moving away. Even more odd than my reaction to his closeness was how I felt when he moved away: I wanted him to stay close to me. He reached over again and adjusted the pendant, which sat just below my collarbone. I shivered slightly at his touch, and my mind reeled in confusion. Seriously, what is wrong with you? I knew that I wouldn't be able to figure it out in this moment, so I just tried to focus on anything but the strange way that Jack was making me feel.

"I can't say thank you enough, Jack. It's beautiful." I picked up the pendant in my hand and turned it left and right, admiring the reflective stones. "I've been looking for a necklace to wear everyday, and I think my search for one is over." I looked up, catching a satisfied grin on Jack's face.

"You know, I did remember you talking about that," he remarked sarcastically. "That is an amazing coincidence." I bumped his arm playfully, not being able to hold back a low chuckle.

"Seriously, Jack. Give yourself some credit," I spoke softly, holding eye contact to convey my genuine feelings. I never would have expected something like this from him. Though, it's not like he has never done anything thoughtful for me before. I mean, he does thoughtful things for me all the time when I think about it. Things that most people might not notice… but I do. Something deep in my gut started to stir. Looking directly at him felt more difficult by the second. "I will say, I don't think you should have been so nervous just to give this to me," I commented. Jack's eyes widened a bit, and the corners of his mouth dipped away from their standard upturn. "This was the only reason you were nervous earlier, right?" I asked, suddenly feeling like there was more he hadn't shared yet. Jack paused, just long enough for me to really believe that there was something he wasn't telling me. He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced around the room.

"Yeah, it seems a little ridiculous now that I think about it… I shouldn't have been so nervous just to give you a necklace," he responded rather cooly. Only someone who is as close to Jack as I am would be able to see through that response. There was something he wasn't telling me. Should I press for information? I don't know… Whatever it is, it's obvious that it's really been bothering him. Maybe I should just wait until he is comfortable talking about it.

"You know, Jack," I started, not wanting to make it too obvious what I was implying, "if there's something you're nervous about telling me or showing me, remember that its just… me." I shrugged my shoulders, trying to act casual. Looking at him, I saw the impact of my words turning wheels in his head. I smiled and gently took hold of one of his hands. His eyes darted to meet mine, and they held on strong and steady. It was almost too much to meet his gaze, but… I also couldn't tear my eyes away. "I'm just me."

"Just you…" he said gently, as if he was perplexed by the statement. I couldn't tell if it was because of the late hour, or because I felt wired, but in that moment I felt a level of electricity in the air I had never imagined possible. My ears felt like they were buzzing, and my hand, still holding his, felt hot. Hot? Holding the hand of a winter spirit? It was the most confusing oxymoron I had experienced. Time felt like it had slowed down, and my chest felt like it was constricting. There was too much going on; the air was too still, the light in my room was too perfect, and his eyes were too blue.

"We're still on for tomorrow, right?" I spoke suddenly and rather awkwardly, and immediately felt a flush fall over my face. Jack seemed taken aback, as if he was broken from a trance.

"Oh, uh… yeah, tomorrow," he responded, shifting in his spot. I let go of his hand, placing it in my lap.

"Okay, well, great! Then I will see you tomorrow!" I started, standing up. "It's just I've had a long day, and I'm a bit exhausted. It was so amazing that you came by, though! I mean, this necklace… wow! Can't thank you enough!" I could feel his confusion meld with mine, and I walked over to my window and opened it wide. Icy air smacked me in the face, a nice splash of cold that woke me up. "Hope the rest of your night is wonderful, and I'll see you at our usual spot? Right? Right? Good! Quick good-bye hug for the road!" Jack had meandered over at that point, and I rushed him into an embrace that I had imagined would be short, but as soon as I wrapped my arms around him, time again decided to slow down. Jack's startled figure slowly wrapped his arm around mine in response, and something about it was so… tender. He carefully placed one arm protectively around my back, another steadily around the back of my head. I leaned my face into his hoodie, feelings and emotions inside me so intense and indiscernible that I hid. He leaned his head down so that his chin was resting on top of my head. I didn't know two people could fit together so nicely. The moment held an eternity before Jack began unwrapping himself from me. As I drew myself away, there was nothing I could do but look into his eyes. Something was hiding in them, right under the surface. It was like a playful preview- of what, I didn't know. I wanted to know.

Jack's mouth slowly formed back into its usual smirk, and he turned and began climbing out of my window. He stopped as he kneeled on the ledge and looked back.

"See you tomorrow, Autumn." I had to force myself to speak.

"See you tomorrow, Jack." His smirk grew a bit, and suddenly he was gone.

I stood there for several more moments replaying over and over in my head snapshots of the meeting that just took place. Jack's nervousness, his gift, the overwhelming electricity I felt, my awkwardness and uncertainty. I wanted there to be an easy answer for what this all meant. I went about my usual routine getting ready for bed. I took a quick shower. What did he really come here to tell me? I brushed my teeth. Will he tell me tomorrow? I picked out and put on my coziest pajamas. Why was I freaking out that whole time? Surely there must be a reason? I turned off my lights, tucked myself into bed, and began staring at the ceiling. Why isn't there a reason? Why isn't there a clear-cut, obvious reason? I mean, maybe there is one? Maybe there is a stupidly obvious reason for all of this and I am just not connecting the dots and-

Oh shit.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts-  
> I've been having a good time writing this, hope you enjoy...

I was bothered awake by light streaming through my window. Harsh glares of sun bounced off a conveniently placed mirror so that it winked furiously at me until I moved. I rolled on my back to avoid being directly hit, and lazily blinked my eyes as I drifted into consciousness.

_Wait a god damn second._

I shot up, eyes wide, as I remembered what happened last night. As I remembered how my best friend in the whole world came to my window and brought be the most gorgeous gift, and how for some reason it completely turned me inside out and now there was no way to deny what I finally understand… _I’m in love with Jack Frost._

In my daze, I happened to glance at the clock, which alerted me that I should actually start getting ready to go see him for the day. _Shit._ I have to spend the entire day with him now? After just figuring out my feelings for him? I’m not sure how I’m gonna get through this.

I slumped back in my bed for a moment, allowing myself to let out a messy groan. I just had to get through today. I just had to get through today. 

It was in these moments that I wished more than anything for my other best friends, Nia and Avery, to believe in Jack. Well, to be fair, I have not tried to get them to believe in him, only because I felt like they wouldn’t understand if I told them. Then we just got to be too old, and I assumed that the time for them to have a chance of believing in him and seeing him were over. I don’t ever get to talk about him with them, and now I need to more than ever. 

I thought about my options while getting ready for the day. I couldn’t talk to my best friends, I certainly couldn’t talk to my mom- who else could I turn to? I stopped for a moment thinking about this, and realized there were only two people I knew for certain I could talk about Jack to: Jamie and Katie. Jack and I were meeting in the woods anyway- maybe they would be out there hanging out with their usual crew. Maybe I could talk to them if I got there before I was supposed to meet Jack. 

I continued getting ready. Bundling up in my thick winter jacket and boots, I grabbed my phone and wallet and headed out the door after saying goodbye to my mom. I walked down my front door steps and onto the sidewalk, feeling jittery and nervous. As I was walking, I slowed as I started to notice my surroundings. Perfect piles of snow were everywhere, coating every roof and every tree in such a beautiful way. There were lines of frost decorating windowsills and street signs. In the sky, the sun was shining, with only a few picture perfect cotton candy clouds drifting along without obstructing it’s view. All the beauty of fresh, heavy snow without the usual gloomy sky that came with it… This was my version of the perfect snow day. _I wonder if he did that on purpose._

There was more pep in my step as I continued on, the gorgeousness of the day lifting some of my nerves. Maybe I shouldn’t be nervous to see Jack after all. Maybe what he wanted to talk to me about last night is exactly what I want to talk about. Maybe today is going to be the start of something incredible… _You know, it’s still terrifying to think about._ I chuckled, letting myself feel giddy and anxious all at once. There hasn’t been a person in my life who has affected me in this way, and what a thing it is to experience. Well, he’s actually not even a real person.

Oh, right.

_How the hell is this going to work? Why did this happen to me? What am I going to do?_

I realized that my pace had almost slowed to a stop as I stared at the ground, my thoughts running out of control in every which way imaginable. Just when I was starting to get excited, the oddness of the situation had crashed down on me. _Man, I really need to talk to someone about this._

My dejected attitude was shifting towards resolve. Yes, this was weird. But also, this could be wonderful. Whatever it is, I was absolutely sure about two things: I am in love with my best friend, and the best person to talk to about this is my best friend. Jack said it himself when I was having issues with my previous relationship. Things only resolved when I actually talked with Andy. I can’t beat around the bush and spend days overthinking this or else I will go insane. I just have to talk to Jack.

I picked up my pace, determination pushing me on.

.o.0.o.

I was surprised to see a scattered group of Jamie and Katie’s friends standing around their usual spot looking lost. They weren’t chatting or playing with each other, although they don’t really _play_ together anymore. They’ll have snowball fights and go sledding, but it’s a bit different now. After all, they just started high school, and I’ve noticed a shift in their social dynamics. Don’t get me wrong, they are still a group of energetic and light hearted kids, but theres a level of maturity that they are all developing that I’ve been able to see. Although, I’ve never seen them act like they are now: glancing around, looking worried, not really talking with each other. I crossed the street and approached them.

“Hey, guys, have you seen Jamie or Katie?” I asked, walking up to a few of them. One girl who I’ve seen over the years looked over.

“No, we haven’t. We’re actually looking for them too,” she said, glancing around. I quirked my head to the side.

“Is something wrong?” I asked, glancing at the others. Another kid I recognized responded, he was standing next to his brother and rubbing his hands together.

“We don’t _think_ so,” he started, “but we were all just exploring the woods and promised to meet back here, and Jamie and Katie haven’t come back.” 

“It’s been a while, too,” his brother added. Something deep in my gut started squirming, in a way that made me wish it wasn’t. I started to feel worry creep into my chest. 

“Okay, I was heading into the woods anyway. I’ll help look for them,” I said. The kids all nodded, and I started my familiar walk into the woods.

I wasn’t sure why I was feeling as worried as I was. Jamie and Katie are both young teens, and it’s not like exploring the woods is super dangerous for kids their age. Besides, they know these woods. If all of their friends were exploring it too, they must have just peeled off from the others for a bit. I bet they aren’t even lost- they probably just went a bit further than everyone else and it’s taking them longer to get back. That’s probably what happened. 

_Or something is wrong._

I paused. I was surprised to have such a strong reaction. I was surprised at how much I felt like trusting this gut feeling I was having. This instinct.

I stopped where I was and looked around. The woods were quiet. The sun was shining softly through ice covered tree branches, and its rays highlighted smooth mounds of snow that covered hidden rocks and logs and undergrowth. I paused as I was looking to my right. Something about that direction was pulling me towards it. My feet started moving on their own, and soon I was heading deeper and deeper into the woods, following what I could only assume was a feeling. How could it be more than a feeling?

Walking through the snow is hard. Walking in general is already hard for me, but add snow into the mix and it gets a whole lot worse. As I was trudging along, I couldn’t help but notice how my legs were starting to slightly shake. One, it was cold. Two, I had been walking through freshly fallen snow, where the powdery white stuff hadn’t been tampered down yet and every step resulted in my foot falling one to two feet below the surface. All this because I was following an instinct. _I’m really loosing it…_ I can’t believe I walked all this way on an instinct. That’s crazy. Why would I-

There were tire prints in the ground up ahead. It looked like the snow was leveled off, like it had been formed into a small road. The feeling in my gut was exploding now. With new energy I tried my best to quicken my pace and stepped onto the leveled off snow. I looked up and down the road. _What is this doing out here?_ I looked to the left, where the road led around a bend through a grouping of trees. _Over there. Over there._

I started walking. My instincts were telling me to be as quiet as I could, which paved the way for a prick of fear to enter my chest. Somehow, my feet kept pulling me forward. I crept around the bend, and stood still as I stared at what was before me. 

A wooden shack sat awkwardly in the middle of a small clearing. It looked old and worn; it was even leaning a bit to the right. _Why did I come here?_ What was inside, who owned this place, and _why did I come here?_

I suddenly heard a few voices raise in volume from inside. It sounded like multiple voices arguing. Against my better judgement I crept closer. I could see next to the shack on the left a large black van, with windows so tinted I couldn’t see inside. Immediately, a million horror stories ran through my head so fast I almost got dizzy. Still, that _stupid_ gut feeling was pulling me closer to this place, and I couldn’t stop it. Or maybe, I knew I shouldn’t stop it.

I started to crouch as much as I could as I neared a window. I stopped and pushed myself against the side of the shack, leaning my ear towards the window which had a broken pane, allowing me to listen in.

“How are we gonna explain this to him? Huh?” One voice said gruffly and angrily. The sound of it gave me goosebumps; this was not a safe place.

“I don’t know, man, but we can’t something we’re gonna regret. We gotta tell him.” The second voice sounded slightly calmer, but there was still an edge of menace. 

“Oh, really? Then be my guest! You call him up and tell him yourself how we didn’t notice two kids following us and now they’ve seen everything.” I felt like my chest dropped to the pit of my stomach. My body felt like it was shaking. Please, please don’t let it be them…

“Look, we don’t have to call him right now… but again, I’m not gonna let you do something you are going to _regret_.” The way the second voice said this amplified the fear in my gut so much that I peeked into the shack through the broken window. Inside, there was dirt on the ground and the walls were bare; no shelving, pictures or anything. Covering the floor was also piles and piles of what looked to be money.

My eyebrows shot up at the sight of it. It was piled along every wall, stacked neatly and bound in small handfuls. I had never seen so much money in one place. I could see the shoulders of one of the people. They were standing on the far left side of the cabin, away from the window I was looking through. I could also see a door frame- what looked to be the only entrance and exit to the shack. It was against the far left wall, and seemed to lead out to where the van was parked. As my gaze drifted around the interior of the shack, it suddenly came to a screeching halt. It took all of my power not to make an audible gasp. Sitting in the far right corner across from the window I was looking through was Jamie and Katie. Their arms were locked together, and they were switching from looking at each other to looking at the two people talking. I could see their eyes were both puffy, no doubt from shedding a few tears. Overall, they looked scared. Their eyes were wide and full of fear. I wanted to scream, to bang on the window and tell them I was there. I wanted to tackle the two people in the shack and get Jamie and Katie and walk all the way to the safety of town. I wanted… I wanted Jack.

_Jack, if you are out there, please please come here. Come here._ I felt like I was sending out a god damn mental bat signal. I felt silly for doing it, but I also couldn’t help it. I felt desperate and scared and angry and full of rage and I wanted nothing more than to kick those people’s asses and save the god damn day.

I turned my back to the shack, and wrapped my arms around myself. My body was shaking. In a burst of realization, I pulled my phone out of my pocket… to see I had no signal. Of-fucking-course.

I shakily shoved my phone back in my pocket. My eyes were darting around the scene before me. I couldn’t make out any of the thoughts flying through my head. My breathing was heavy, and it was getting heavier. I felt like I couldn’t breath. I couldn’t breath.

_Get up._

Shut up, gut. Or, whatever you are.

_Get up._

I… okay. 

I started to stand up in all my shaking glory. I felt my breathing slow down. I was noticing the cloud of fog I was making with each exhale, and my mind started to focus. 

_Create a distraction._

What? How?

_Find a way._

And then what?

_Save the day._

Save the fucking- alright you know what, this is serious. This is a serious situation. There are kids I know in there and they are in danger and they need help. I’m not a superhero. I’m not a spirit with powers. I’m not Jack Frost. 

_You are all they have._

That thought almost stopped my breathing. I was the only one there who could do something. I was the only one there who could do something. I have to do something I have to do something.

_Holy shit I’m gonna do something._

I looked at my surroundings again, hoping to see something that will make me think of something to do just something anything- 

To the right and a bit behind the shack was a hefty tree, much like others around it. This tree had a big, heaping pile of snow hanging tantalizingly on the edge of falling in a huge lump on the ground, which would no doubt create a lot of noise.

_Oh my gods oh my gods oh my gods._

I started moving. Slowly. Towards the van parked in front of the doorway into the shack. Every tiny crunch of snow beneath my feet sounded like a million bombs going off in my head, but I kept going. I tucked myself around the back of the van, and quietly exhaled the breath I had been holding in. I started making a snowball. I would just need one perfect throw to hit the pile of snow and send it crashing down and then-

_Oh shit._ If the people go outside and just see a pile of snow, they aren’t gonna think anything of it. _Think think think._

I started unlacing one of my snow boots. Spotting a rogue shoe without its owner is sure to get them looking a little longer over there while I go inside and get Jamie and Katie. _Right?_

With my boot off, I stood up and looked towards my target. It was… not as close looking at it from where I was now. But my adrenaline was pumping through my system, and my mind was screaming at me to just do it and throw it and just get it over with just-

My boot went soaring through the air after I launched it with all the strength I had left in me. I held my breath as I watched it fly through the air, and suddenly it hit. The exact branch I was aiming for shuddered from the sudden impact, and a whopping heap of snow plunged to the ground. I saw my shoe tumble off the branch, and heard a thud as it landed in the snow.

“What was that?” I dropped to the ground. I could hear my heartbeat in my skull as I heard the two people step outside.

“Whose shoe is that?” I heard them walk away from the shack. I couldn’t believe my plan had worked. It shouldn’t have worked. I’m so glad it worked.

I quickly shuffled to the door of the shack, which had been left open. I leaned into the doorway and waved my hands wildly. As soon as Jamie and Katie saw me I slammed my finger onto my lips, miming them to keep quiet. The looks on their faces were indescribable. They jerked up from their spots on the floor and dashed towards me. I moved outside and started walking towards the road. Jame and Katie ran up behind me and grabbed onto me, wrapping their arms around me desperately. I could hear their breaths shudder and I saw that they looked like they were about to start crying.

“Guys, guys, we have to move, we have to move,” I said, as quiet and non-alarming as possible. They both nodded their heads. 

“Hey!” I heard an alarming shout from behind me. I started pushing Jamie and Katie in front of me.

“Run! Run!” I yelled. They ran a few paces, but kept looking back.

“Come on, Autumn!” Jamie yelled desperately. I choked back a cry, as I said the words that have followed me for years.

“I can’t run.” I waved my hands frantically. “You have to go now! Get help! Go!” I could see Jamie start to cry, but as he glanced behind me, I could see fear envelope his features. He looked at me, then behind me. “Go, Jamie,” I said. Katie grabbed his arm, and they sprinted away. I spun around to see two men looking at me and the fleeing kids in the distance. I took a step backwards. 

“Sweetie, don’t do anything irrational,” one of them said. He looked at the other man, and they both seemed to communicate something between themselves. They began walking towards me. “You’re coming with us.”

I took a few more steps backwards before turning around and moving as quickly as I could away. It what seemed like a second they grabbed my arms and lurched me back, pulling me toward the van.

“Look, we can’t have you spoutin’ off to any police, and we might be able to get outta this situation if we head out now, so you’re coming with us,” the other man said. I could twist my head enough to see they were heading towards the van. I started struggling. 

“Woh now! Hey!” The men were yelling as I was wriggling around and kicking my feet, trying anything to get out of their hold. I started thrashing my arms, exerting so much energy that I was grunting. 

“Help! Help!” I started yelling, which the men _did not_ like.

“Shut your mouth or I’ll do it for you,” one of them said. In my rage I glared at him, and in a sudden burst of blind anger I raised my arm to my face and bit down as hard as I could on his hand. He screamed and let go, and I yanked myself away from the other man. I was free for only a second before was violently gripped again.

“ _You little shit_.” I twisted my head around to see the man I had bit staring right at me, deep anger pouring out of his eyes, his mouth twisted down. It was in that moment that I had truly felt more fear than ever before. I tried using one of my legs to kick at his knee, but it seemed that only made my situation worse. He yelled out again in anger. Suddenly and violently he threw me to the ground, where I felt my body smack the ground, and my head strike against something blunt and cold and then I saw and felt nothing.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: major character death (technically) (you know what I mean)

**CHAPTER 13**

Jamie had never run so fast in his entire life. He felt like he could say the same for his friend, Katie, who was sprinting beside him, breathing hard and fast. He felt like he wasn’t even in control of his limbs anymore. Fear and adrenaline were pumping through him furiously, and all he could do was move forward. Not to mention, this was all happening in woods blanketed with fresh snow, which collapsed under their feet easily and created more challenge than they wish they had. But Jamie wasn’t even thinking about the snow; his brain was almost completely void of thought, except for 2 things: get the police, and get Jack.

He and Katie were closing in on familiar territory, and they knew it wouldn’t be long before they would be out of the woods. Suddenly, a familiar drop in temperature pulled them out of their danger-fueled trance-like state, and Jamie looked above him to see they were passing under a tree in which a certain winter spirit was lounging. Jack Frost heard the swift crunching of snow below him and tilted his head downward.

“Hey guys! Where-”

“Jack! Jack! Help us!” Jamie yelled, stumbling to a stop. Jack’s casual demeanor dropped, and he shot down from his spot on a branch, landing easily in the snow. It didn’t take him any time to register that something was very wrong, and he tried to quiet his mind as it flew threw a bunch of worst case scenarios. 

“Jamie, what’s wrong,” Jack asked, bending down slightly and grabbing onto Jamie’s arm to steady him, as he was almost swaying with exhaustion.

“In the woods-We-These men-They have Autumn-”

“They have _who_?” 

“They have Autumn!” Katie burst, looking like she was on the edge of breaking down. “She found us in the woods. We found a weird shack that had all this… money in it. There were these guys. They threatened us. She found us and distracted them and told us to run and we left her there!” A sob escaped her throat, and Jack suddenly felt like he might pass out. 

“Where in the woods?” Jamie had never heard Jack speak so sternly. 

“That direction,” Jamie pointed behind him, “maybe 5 minutes that way. Autumn told us to get help. We’re going to the police.” Jamie rushed the words out as he exhaled. He looked at Jack, desperate and scared, “Jack.” Jack looked into his eyes, shaken by how frightened Jamie looked. “Autumn, she… saved us. I-I don’t know what to do…” Jamie couldn’t finish his sentence. Tears started flowing steadily down his cheeks. Jack felt like a tall building had just been used to hit him straight in the gut. He held Jamie’s shoulders, and tried to make himself look calmer than he felt.  
“Don’t worry, Jamie. I’m going to get her. You guys get help. I’ll see you soon.” Jack stepped back and didn’t hesitate before launching into the air, flying quickly in the direction Jamie had pointed to.

Jamie finally grew aware of his body how shaky his breathing was, and looked over at Katie. Her cheeks were beet red, and her eyes were puffy and watery. He grabbed her hand before pulling her away quickly towards the edge of the woods. 

.o.0.o.

Jack was not aware of the cold wind slapping his forehead and cheeks. Even though he was never bothered by it, he could usually still feel how the wind would whip around him when he would fly. But now, he barely felt aware of his body. All he could think about was where he was going and who he was going to find.

He didn’t think he would be that late meeting Autumn. He wanted to be right on time, but after the events that transpired last night - like him completely chickening out on telling her how he felt - he wanted to play it cool. He was no stranger to being “fashionably” late, but that was the first time that it was a conscious decision. He wasn’t sure if he felt embarrassed by that or not. There was something about the moment last night that wasn’t right-though, he and Autumn were alone, the dim lighting _was_ giving off a special feeling, and Autumn looked so beautiful… But it wasn’t the right time. At least, that’s what he was telling himself. It wasn’t because he was suddenly alone with a pretty girl who he really liked and got cold feet (well, colder than usual). No no no… it was definitely a purposeful decision to wait until the next day. He really didn’t expect something like this to happen.

_Autumn will be fine,_ he kept chanting to himself. _Autumn will be fine. I will find her and she will be fine. I will get her and we will be fine._

His eyes caught something among the trees, and he quickly stopped short in the air. Right below him, a tiny wooden shack. He dropped quickly to the ground, and began turning his head around wildly. 

“Autumn!” He yelled, eyes scanning the area. There was no response. He suddenly spotted a shoe on the ground a few feet in front of him, a bit of snow covering them. He recognized the shoe; it was Autumn’s. In a burst of power, he blew the pile of snow away, revealing nothing of importance. He turned his head around towards the shack, running around to the right, and finding a door swinging wide open. He looked inside, seeing a few toppled over stacks of what looked to be money. He had felt his breathing growing harsher every moment that he was there, every moment that he was not finding Autumn. He turned to move to the other side of the shack, but stopped short. If there was ever a time where he felt like he had truly come close to what it felt like to fall through the ice on the lake where he had been re-born, this was it.

Autumn was on the ground, about 15 feet away from him. She wasn’t moving. He used the wind to swing over to her, crouching down next to her. He gingerly placed his arms on her shoulder, gently shaking her. Nothing happened.

All noise in the woods had ceased. The wind stopped blowing, without so much as a light breeze tickling the pine needles on the trees. There was no movement; no feeling. Absence.

Jack felt like his limbs had gone numb. He was always cold, but he had always still felt. His hands that didn’t feel like his hands tenderly wrapped under Autumn’s torso, and he lifted her onto his lap. He could now see a hatefully vibrant stain of blood in the snow where her head had been. He looked at Autumn. Maybe in a few moments, this nightmare would be over. Maybe if he just waited a little longer, she would start to move. 

It was during one of those maybes that he noticed a drop of water fall onto her right cheek. It rolled reluctantly down, and it was then that he became aware of his crying. It hadn’t felt like crying; it hadn’t felt like anything. Jack placed one aching hand on her other cheek, void of thought, void of feeling. His eyes latched onto a glimmer of light, and he felt the first true horrible stab of pain in his heart as he sat looking at the small snowflake necklace secured around Autumn’s neck. 

Suddenly overcome with a feeling of sadness, or nausea, or anger, or everything, he delicately pulled his arms away, jerked up, and walked a good number of paces away. Jack didn’t feel like gravity was enough to hold him to the earth. The snow around him was too bright, the lack of wind making everything too quiet. He staggered by a tree, latching his hand on the bark for stability as he passed, leaving a jagged mess of sharp ice growing. He slowed down and fisted his hair in his hands, squatting on the ground, hearing his breathing get harsh and ragged. Feeling his chest constrict and ache. Feeling his body want to shut down and also push into overdrive. And all of these feelings, coursing through and wreaking his body, didn’t compare to the emptiness and disbelief in his mind. 

_No._ His brain only knew one word right now. _No._ It kept repeating until it blurred together into one long sound that clouded his brain. This didn’t happen. It couldn’t have. It wasn’t supposed to happen. He kept replaying that thought over and over again, so much that he didn’t hear the soft footsteps coming up behind him. It was only when he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder that he shot up and whipped around. He swore he felt the earth move under his feet.

“Oh! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to, uh, startle you there. Could you tell me where I am?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment if you feel so inclined


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers. My goal is to upload once a week, so stay tuned for more!  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**CHAPTER 14**

There was too much light around me. I was disoriented, but awake. _I think?_ I couldn’t tell what I was. It was different, though. I had never experienced this before. I was trying to open my eyes, but it was much harder than it usually was. It was only then that I realized I couldn’t feel anything. This concerned me, and I tried focusing on my body. How it felt, what it was touching. Suddenly, I felt something. A dull, deep pain by the back of my head. I wanted to reach back to hold it, but I couldn’t. _Come on, pull yourself together._ I kept trying to open my eyes, and after what felt like an eternity my efforts were rewarded. All that light that I had felt around me was blinding. My eyes blinked rapidly, trying to adjust. All I could see was light, but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. I was able to move my head then, and turned it around. Doing so made me realize another thing: I couldn’t feel the ground.

I could feel my limbs start to move in response to my brain realizing this, and all they passed through was air. I almost felt like panicking, but something stopped me. _There._ Above me, in the sky, was the source of light. It was the moon, shining gloriously. All I could do was stare. I started feeling a presence, like it was more than just a glowing object suspended in sky; it was looking back at me.

“Hello,” I suddenly found my voice calling out. I couldn’t explain why I was doing this, but then again I couldn’t explain why I didn’t feel the ground beneath me and why the light from the moon was so bright it almost brought me to tears. 

_Hello._ I couldn’t tell if those were my own thoughts or something else’s. _These are your thoughts, but they are also his._ I didn’t know who ‘he’ was. _You are looking at him._ The moon? _Yes._ The moon is a person? _No._ Okay… then. I didn’t know what to make of all this. Why was this happening? _You have been re-born._ Re-born in what regard, I had no idea. _You do know._

I could feel my heart beating fast. The throbbing from the back of my head screamed at me, although as hard as I tried I couldn’t remember exactly how it had gotten there, or why.

A lot of questions ran through my head, some of them making sense and others sounding like complete gibberish. _All will be answered in time._ Nothing like mysterious inner thoughts to placate an increasingly imminent panic attack. _You are okay._ I believed it even if I didn’t want to. My body relaxed, and my heart rate slowed. I allowed myself to be comfortable. _Your journey starts here._

I felt myself start to drift in what I could assume was downward, but nothing allowed me to pull my gaze away from the moon. I could feel my feet touch down on hard ground, and all around me the light that had blinded my surroundings was softly ebbing. After a long moment, I was simply standing on the ground in some woods. The pale moon was faintly imprinted in the sky, although it looked to be daytime. 

I dropped my gaze, and took in some of my surroundings. There was nothing about them that I recognized, although there was something oddly familiar about them. Now having full control over my body, I brought a hand to the back of my head. _It feels… fine._ I was expecting to feel some sort of injury, but nothing was there. I looked down and to my left, and my eyes widened at a deep red stain in the snow. I knew it was mine; I knew something happened to me there. I just couldn’t for the life of me remember what. _What was I doing today?_

I remembered walking into these woods. I didn’t know why I did, though. I didn’t know my way back home. I knew my home was in this area somewhere. _Yeah, I live here._ Why was I in an unfamiliar part of the woods? How could I get back home?

I thought about these questions, and wondered what the moon had meant when he told me I was re-born. I felt completely lost. I didn’t know where I was, but I kinda did. I didn’t know how I ended up here, but I kinda did. I felt uncertain about everything. _I can’t just stand around here and wait for something to happen._ I knew I had to do something soon, or else I would drive myself crazy. 

I looked around a bit more. There was a weird looking shack to my right, and something about it gave me goosebumps. _Not gonna go in there._ Then I noticed a figure to the left of the shack. I was surprised I hadn’t noticed them before. They were kneeling on the ground with their hands holding their head. Looking at them brought some type of feeling; it was hard to describe. It felt like there was a physical gap in my chest; it felt empty, and it felt alone. I felt like I would be intruding if I went over to them, but at the same time something was pushing me to reach out to them. 

I cautiously walked over, hoping not to freak them out by my sudden presence. As I neared them, I saw it was a boy. He looked about my age, but had the strangest, most striking shade of glistening white hair I had ever seen. Somehow, he was barefoot, even though the ground was covered in snow. Pushing aside my growing curiosity for the boy, I reached out to gently touch his shoulder, hoping to get his attention.

He shot up from where he had been, whipping around to face me. I started feeling guilty, as the most shocked expression was plastered on his features. I hadn’t meant to freak him out so bad. 

“Oh! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to, uh, startle you there. Could you tell me where I am?” I tried my best to sound friendly, to sound normal. He was the only person around I could ask directions from, and I was really hoping that he wasn’t some sort of crazy person. The way he was looking at me was not helping me think otherwise.

“You…” He suddenly spoke, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish. He didn’t. He kept staring at me, and I watched his eyes take me in. I started feeling uncomfortable with the way he was looking at me. It was like he was seeing a ghost. I also couldn’t help but be taken aback by how blue his eyes were; they made it hard to look at him as I tried talking to him once more.

“Again, I’m really sorry if I startled you. I’m just a little lost, trying to find my way home. Is there a town near by?” I tried looking around, motioning to the woods, making this one-sided conversation more casual, hoping it would relax the guy. 

“Autumn.” _That’s… my name. How does he know my name?_

I had to stop myself from yelping as he threw his arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace. My mouth fell open from shock, and words kept stopping in my throat as he rocked me gently back and forth. 

“Autumn, I can’t believe it… I thought you were gone,” he said, burying his face in the crook of my neck. This whole thing felt weirdly personal, and too uncomfortable for me to not do anything about it. I started wriggling out of his grip, and I was glad to find him not resisting. He slowly let go, and he looked confused. Something in me felt bad for him, but I also wasn’t a fan with dealing with an unstable person right now, especially when I felt unstable myself.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know how you know my name, but if you would please just tell me where the nearest town is, I will leave you alone,” I said, trying to sound as diplomatic as possible.

The boys facial expression almost left me speechless. There was an impressive amount of confusion, hurt and sadness. I knew I shouldn’t, but I felt bad for rejecting him. Of course, I had no idea who he was, so I was completely in my right to be cautious and just get out of there. I still felt bad. 

“Autumn, it’s me. Jack,” he said softly. Something about the way he said those words stirred something deep in my chest. It wasn’t much, it was just enough to make me wonder. I tried thinking if I knew a Jack, but as much as I tried I couldn’t come up with anything. Maybe he went to my school?

“Jack…” I mused out loud. He seemed to anticipate what I would say next. “I don’t know a Jack. Do you go to Green Knolls High?” I asked, raising a brow. It was obvious that wasn’t the answer he was looking for. 

“Autumn, this is getting weird,” he started again. “You know me. We,” he paused. “We’re best friends. We were going to hang out today, but something happened. I don’t know what exactly, but Jamie found me and told me you were in trouble. I came here to find you.” He sounded desperate now, using more animated expressions. I started to feel more uncomfortable until he mentioned the name Jamie. _I know that person…_ I kept trying to picture them in my head, but something about it was fuzzy. Like I was staring at fogged glass, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t wipe it clear.

“Jamie, I think I know a Jamie,” I said. Jack’s eyes widened.

“Jamie, yes- you know Jamie. A boy, 14 years old. You’ve known him for 3 years now, he introduced us!” Jack looked at me expectantly. I kept trying to dig in my memory for a clear picture, but nothing was coming up. Come to think of it, my memory in general seemed to be working slow. This whole day seemed fuzzy.

“Yeah, I’m trying to think, it’s just…” I unconsciously brought a hand up to the back of my head, rubbing a low, throbbing pressure there. “Something about it is a bit fuzzy.” I looked at Jack sympathetically. He noticed my hand, and after a moment of thought looked past me towards the ground. His questioning gaze made me turn my head. Behind me, the striking spot of red in the snow gave me pause. _That’s where I…_ Wheels started turning in my mind, and a thought occurred to me. 

“Autumn,” Jack spoke. I turned back towards him, already guessing what he was going to say, and already feeling like he would unfortunately be onto something. “I saw you on the ground. Your head, it was bleeding really badly. Maybe you hit it so hard that you- you damaged something up there. That would explain this!” He spoke as if he had discovered a new species, holding onto my shoulders firmly yet gently. “You need to get to a hospital. We’ll get you sorted out, and everything will go back to normal.” Looking into his eyes, something about him made me want to trust him. This whole experience was really making me question reality, especially that part with the moon and the whole being “re-born” thing. The idea that I had taken a tumble and just needed medical attention was actually the most plausible explanation. Things started clicking together, and I felt grateful for Jack’s help. If he was right, maybe I did know him. It must be weird for him to see me acting this way- I almost started laughing out loud thinking about my earlier illusion. I gave Jack a grateful smile.

“You know, I think you are on to something,” I started. He mirrored my smile, squeezing my shoulders in a comforting way. “Thank you for helping me. I mean, I would have been totally in trouble if I woke up here alone.” I chuckled morbidly at the thought. “You know, it was really weird when I woke up, I should have known something was wrong. I actually thought that I was hovering - _in the air_ \- and that the moon was talking to me!” I started laughing at my story, and continued with my hilarious experience. “Get this- I thought it told me that I was re-born, or something. Like I had died and come back!” At this, I bent over a bit, the thought of it all now sounding ridiculous as I said it out loud. I glanced up, wanting to see Jack’s reaction, but was disappointed. My laughing subsided quickly as I straightened up, raising a brow at his expression. It was like I had slapped him in the face. 

“Jack, hey, it was all just a weird illusion. I think you’re right, something got messed up there when I hit my head. Which means, I should definitely be getting to a hospital,” I said, nodding my head towards where I assumed town was. Jack seemed as if he hadn’t heard me, and his face looked pale. Well, paler than it was before. Now that I was paying attention, his complexion was really unlike anything else I’d seen. Had he never stepped outside before? 

“The moon said you were re-born,” he suddenly spoke, bringing me out of my thoughts. I chuckled a bit nervously at his question.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t matter, I just need to get to a hospital,” I reminded him, stepping back to initiate us leaving. Jack tilted his head up, seeming to search the sky. His eyes landed on something, and he almost seemed to look on antagonizing. I looked up, following his gaze to the softly illuminated moon. I looked back down at him, starting to feel a bit annoyed. Why was he focusing on that? I needed to get to a hospital. 

“Jack, come on, I should be going,” I tried to draw his attention away from the moon, placing a hand on his which still rested on my left shoulder. This caused him to look at me finally, and I was surprised to see what looked like tears forming in his eyes. 

“Autumn, I’m so sorry…” He spoke softly. I didn’t understand what he meant, but the way he was talking sparked concern. _Why was he sorry?_ Before I could ask him what he meant, I heard noises behind me. I turned around, my attention focusing on the sound of people approaching. Around a bend a little ways in front of me, a group of people came into view. There looked to be around 20 adults dressed in police uniform, making their way quickly towards the shack. Some of them were talking into radios, saying something about how they had to leave their cars after they got stuck in the snow. I heard some of them communicating that more officers were coming in cars better equipped to drive in the heavy snow. Suddenly, my attention slammed its focus on two smaller figures, walking behind some of the police, their heads turning this way and that in search of something. A young girl and boy. _I know her…_ _That’s Katie! I know her!_ My thoughts shouted at me, excited to see a familiar face. The boy next to her seemed familiar as well, though I was having difficulty placing him in my memory. I started walking towards them as fast as I could, noticing strongly that my usual limp didn’t feel exaggerated. It’s always been harder for me to move in the cold. But now, there was no additional trouble besides the normal difficulty I experienced. I attributed it to the adrenaline I was feeling, as my heart started to race at the relief of seeing a familiar face. I started waving my hands in Katie’s direction, feeling myself smile widely.

“Katie! Katie! Over here!” I was getting closer, but she didn’t seem to notice me. I kept going, and soon police officers were walking past me, not paying any attention to me. I assumed they were focused on something more important. I slowed my walk to a stop. Katie was almost right in front of me, and she still hadn’t noticed me. I almost laughed, feeling more lighthearted knowing I was with someone I knew.

“Katie, wow, look right in front of you! It’s me- ” 

In a split second, it felt like the world around me had turned upside down and slammed it’s weight onto myself. To my disbelief and horror, Katie had approached me without slowing down and walked right… through me. She walked through me. One of my hands slammed against my chest. I started sputtering, whipping myself around to look at her. She and the boy came to a stop, and I could see worry on their faces. I approached them from behind.

“Katie, how did you to that,” I heard myself saying, although I felt like I wasn’t even talking. I reached a hand out to grab her shoulder, only to recoil in shock as it passed right through her like smoke. “What the fuck!” I screamed, my breath quickly heaving out of control. My head started to feel dizzy, and I looked up. Jack was standing back where I was before, looking on in shock and sadness. I could feel my face contort in confusion and fear. 

“Did you see that? Did you see that?!” I could tell I was shouting, but I couldn’t regulate the volume of my voice. I saw him blink a few times, as if pulling himself from his thoughts. He nodded quickly, almost reassuringly, and began stepping towards me. 

“Jack!” Suddenly, the boy that Katie was with sprinted towards him, followed quickly by Katie herself. My eyes widened. Katie could see him, and so could that boy. Why couldn’t they see me? _Why couldn’t they see me?_

“Hello?!” I called out around me, now suddenly paying attention to every face of every officer walking around me. None of them responded. I jerked my hand out in front of one about to pass me, and cried out as they walked through my arm. I shot my gaze back towards Jack, and saw Katie and the boy speaking hurriedly with him. He wasn’t looking at them, though. He was holding my gaze, painfully. I felt tears welling up behind my eyes. I could see him mouthing ‘I’m sorry’. I didn’t understand what he meant by that. How could he understand what was happening to me? _What was happening to me?_

I was suddenly overwhelmed by confusion, fear and anger. I felt like I was going crazy. I just wanted to leave. I wanted to go somewhere else. I wanted to go home.

A quick and blunt pressure by my shoulder blades startled me greatly, and my jaw dropped as I felt something release itself from my back. I turned in confused circles as what looked to be two large white wings emerged in glorious splendor. I could feel them; they were mine. _What the absolute fuck is going on?_ At this point, I felt like the threshold for insane things that could happen to me had broken, and I almost felt relieved from feeling shocked at anything that could happen from then on out. I realized that with these new extra appendages, I could - in theory - fly away. I could leave; I could go home. 

I looked towards Jack, and took in his shocked expression. Feeling like this wasn’t the last time I would be seeing the odd boy who supposedly knew me, and could see me when no one else could, I turned my gaze towards the sky. _Well, here goes nothing._ As if on some instinct I suddenly acquired, I pushed myself off the ground using my new wings, and I was soon soaring above the tree tops and into the clear cold sky. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you feel inclined, leave a review!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad to have readers!  
> I'm really enjoying writing this story.

I found a pretty pond which had frozen over at the edge of some woods. I was sitting against the cold bark of a pine tree, staring at the sheets of ice that used to be moving water. Small flurries of snow were lazily drifting by, and their dance was calming. The scene before me could be framed, and out of everything that had happened, I felt a small pleasure in being able to enjoy something like this for once. Sitting outside in this temperature without the proper gear would usually leave be a shivering mess. Now, I found myself unaffected. I could still feel it, the cold. It just didn’t have the same affect as before. 

_Look at me, sitting here all calm and pleasant. As if this is normal._ I guess it was my new normal. Though, it still felt a little soon to call it that. I wasn’t even sure what this new normal was exactly. All I knew for sure was that now I could grow wings and that most everybody couldn’t see me anymore. 

Except for that guy.

I had never seen him before in my life, but he seemed to know me. He also seemed to know a lot more about my situation than me. I remember how he apologized… he knew they couldn’t see me, and I felt like he knew why. In the moment I wasn’t thinking straight, though, and I took off before I could get any information. I wish I hadn’t.

If I had stayed, if I had asked him questions, then maybe I wouldn’t have done what I did. 

I went to the one place I thought would fix everything. I went home. 

The only thing that accomplished was confirming my worst fear: _no one_ could see me, not even my mom. 

I really didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t want to think about the way I stumbled out of the sky on my front porch, stumbled down to the street where my mom was coming out of her car with a bag of groceries. The way she just… looked right through me. I kept calling her name. The moment she walked through me was the moment I took off. And I broke.

Then I found a pretty pond, and I sat there until I forgot what time was. 

I was still sitting there when I got the feeling like I was being watched. 

Out of some intuition, I turned left and looked up into the tree next to the one I sat under. There was that same boy, Jack. He was crouched on a branch, looking at me with wide eyes. For a moment neither of us said anything. 

“Are you gonna keep staring? Or come down and get started on this conversation?” I was feeling particularly blunt. There was no reason to beat around the bush.

“Sorry, sorry…” Jack stumbled out, jumping down onto the snow. He took a few cautious steps towards me, and tilted his head. “Aren’t you cold?” I looked down at myself. My winter coat was gone; I abandoned it somewhere over the woods. All I had on was a long sleeve, though I felt like even that was a bit too much. The only other thing I wore was a pair of jeans and thick socks. I had kicked my shoe off by my town’s movie theater. 

“You know, I’m not really bothered by it anymore,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders. Jack rubbed the back of his neck.

“Well, that makes two of us now,” he remarked, almost like he couldn’t help it. I got the feeling like this was his usual schtick, but I wasn’t exactly in the mood for friendly sarcasm. He seemed to get that and dropped his hand, slowly moving closer. “I’m sorry.” He was almost in front of me now. After a moment of pause, he carefully sat down. He was waiting for me to speak first. I let out a hefty sigh, preparing myself for the conversation.

“What am I?” Jack looked a bit startled, and seemed to consider my question.

“There are a few names for it. The most common one is spirit.” He waited to see my reaction. I didn’t give him one. He continued, “a spirit usually has something they are attached to. Holidays are common, sometimes seasons. Sometimes it takes some time figuring that out.” 

“What are you?” I asked a bit suddenly. Jack smirked a bit, again as if he couldn’t help it.

“I’m the spirit of winter. I’m… also what we call a Guardian,” he paused, searching my face. I still held my expression. “Guardian of fun, if you can believe it. It’s a real thing, trust me,” he chucked. “The Guardians protect the children of the world.”

“You protect them with _fun_?” I asked, teasing him without meaning to. Jack seemed a bit taken aback. A small smile grew, a sort of familiar gleam playing in his eyes.

“Yes, I protect them with _fun_. I’m pretty amazing at it, too,” he added, letting out a wild smirk. The casual tone put me at ease. I offered a small smile. It was the first time I had felt like smiling for the past while. Jack seemed happy to see it.

“So,” I started, “We knew- _know_ each other?” Jack’s smirked faltered, as if that broke his distraction. 

“We met 4 years ago. In these woods,” he looked around. “Jamie and Katie introduced us.”

“I know Katie, but Jamie… Was he the boy that was with her back… there…” I didn’t feel like finishing my sentence. Jack looked confused. 

“You don’t remember Jamie?” 

“The name sounds familiar, and that boy who was with Katie looked familiar to me. So that w _as_ Jamie?” I asked again. Jack nodded his head, though his brows were furrowed.   
“So you don’t remember him, but he looked familiar?” I nodded in response. Jack seemed to ponder this. He suddenly looked at me with intense focus. 

“But you don’t remember me. At all,” he said, his voice sounding heavy. I could hear desperation, I could hear sadness. It broke my heart a bit. I shook my head slowly. He looked down.

“Wait,” I said, sitting up a bit straighter. Jack looked up expectantly. “If we knew each other before, and Katie knew you, then did you become a spirit when I did?” Jack shook his head.

“I’ve been a spirit for over 300 years.” My eyebrows shot up. He chuckled a bit at my expression. “Yeah, I know.”

“But if you were a spirit when we met before, how was I able to see you? How did Katie and Jamie see you?” 

“They saw me because they… believe in me,” he said, testing the language. It was obvious I had a confused expression, since he continued. “Spirits are normally not visible to most people. Children might see us, though. If they believe in us. It’s especially important for us Guardians. You know, cause protecting children is our while thing,” he shrugged his shoulders.I was still wrapping my head around the concept.

“But… how do they believe in you? How do they know who you are to begin with?” I asked, scrunching my brows together in thought. 

“Well, us Guardians are kind of popular with most kids. Most of us are household names at this point,” he joked. I tilted my head, not sure what he meant. “You know, Santa Clause? The Easter Bunny? The Tooth Fairy?” I felt my jaw start to drop. The _what now?_ “Jack Frost?” he finished, motioning to himself. I blinked a few times. I stared off into space, almost motionless as this new view on reality sank in. 

“Santa Clause… _real_?”

“Yes.”

“Tooth Fairy… _real_?”

“ _Yes_.”

“And you’re… Jack Frost. Like, “chestnuts-roasting-on-an-open fire” Jack Frost?”

“The one and only.” I stared at Jack like he had just grown five heads. The oddly pale skin and stark white hair made more sense now. He laughed lightly, my expression only growing more shocked I assumed. “You know, we went through all of this when we first met,” he commented, leaning back on his hands in a more casual manner. 

“How…” I started, “how did I go my whole life not knowing you guys actually existed?” I spoke breathily, still reeling from all of this. 

“Children are the only ones that can see us, usually,” he started, “and only _if_ they believe in us. Jamie got you to believe in me when we first met.” Thoughts were flying through my head, most of them too quick to fully comprehend. It felt like there was just one big question mark floating in my brain.

“So you, Jack Frost,” I started, looking at the boy in question, “Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are all… spirit vigilantes for kids.” 

“Us, and the Sandman,” Jack added. I leaned back against the tree behind me. Something about that title sounded familiar. 

“Sand…” I mumbled to myself. Jack raised one brow. “Sandy?” I wasn’t sure why that name came to mind. It just made sense.

“You remember him?” Jack asked suddenly, sitting up straight. I opened my mouth a few times. I didn’t know him. I thought…

“I don’t know. I just- I think I know that name. It sounds familiar,” I offered. This seemed to excited Jack.

“That’s good! That’s great!” He repositioned into a crouch. There was more pep in his movements. “That means you remember him! _Sort of._ ” He continued, “Maybe if you saw the others, you would remember all of them.” He seemed to retreat into his thoughts. I could see the cogs turning in his mind, his eyes darting back and forth absentmindedly. He then looked up at me, a brilliant grin covering his face. “We gotta go to North’s. He’s met you before. Maybe if you see him, you will remember meeting him. Maybe you’ll remember…” he seemed to falter, “…remember other things.”

I thought about his proposition. Never in all my life did I think something like this would happen to me. There were so many things I hadn’t even processed. So many people I was too in shock to start missing. So many things that I suddenly wished I could have done. I felt myself start to slip into someplace dark. 

“Hey,” Jack called out. I was startled out of my thoughts. Jack had moved closer. He tentatively took hold of my hand which had been resting on my knee, and looked me in the eyes. His hand was chilly, but not so much that I wanted to pull away. His eyes were impeccably blue. “I know this is all… overwhelming, to say the least. I want to help.” 

Nothing could have prepared me for what I felt in that moment. It was a slow crashing wave of a mixture of things: calmness, familiarity, comfort. There was even a twitch of something stirring in my chest that I didn’t have time to think about. In all my confusion, uncertainty and fear, one thing was made clear: I knew I could trust Jack more than anything. I felt myself smile. It quickly spread to Jack. 

“Okay. Take me to North.” He grinned from ear to ear, and helped me stand up. I took note of how he helped me up; he did it like I would always ask people to, if I needed assistance. I didn’t even have to tell him. 

“So, do you need me to… carry you?” Jack asked, looking from me to the sky. “We’re not gonna get there unless we fly, and that’s one of my specialties,” he joked, his seemingly characteristic grin showing through. I almost agreed, but remembered my notable new feature.

“Actually,” I started, focusing on the feeling of letting my wings out. Jack’s eyes widened as my soft white wings appeared and spread out behind me. “I have the flying thing covered.” I felt myself chuckle at his expression. He seemed to be in awe.

“Right, right… I almost forgot about those,” he quipped. He flashed me a cheeky grin. “We better get going. Try not to fall too far behind.” With that, a gust of wind launched him into the bright winter sky. The sense of excitement and fun felt contagious, and my head and heart started feeling lighter than before. I braced myself for a moment and pushed off, soaring up and up into the bright blue, following the whoops and laughter of Jack Frost. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you feel inclined, review with your thoughts!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are still enjoying this story!

We stood in front of a pair of large, ornately decorated doors. Intricate patterns trickled up and down dressed in golds and silvers. Deep accents of red, green and blue fitted themselves in between. They were mesmerizing, and I found myself staring speechless at them when Jack got my attention.  
 ****

“Ready?” He grabbed onto one of the handles and turned to me, waiting for my signal. I nodded slowly, and watched as he opened the grand doors to reveal something out of a dream. I had to command myself to walk forward, and I stepped through the doorway into the largest room I had ever seen. There was movement everywhere, colors everywhere. Things were flying through the air and running across the ground. There were sounds of music, machinery and voices coming from every direction. I moved towards a balcony in front of me, noticing the multiple levels of the space. As I was observing the different floors, I was suddenly aware of the creatures that filled the room. They were giant and covered in white fur. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

“Jack,” I started, “what _are_ those?” He came up beside me, leaning against the wooden railing. 

“Those are the yetis. They kind of run the show around here.” I couldn’t reply, as I was still taking in everything around me. There was something to look at in every corner, at every inch of the room. At the base, a massive rotating globe stood tall, and there were fine lights sprinkled all around each continent. Something bumping against my leg took my attention away, and I looked down to see a tiny creature shaking it’s head, the bell attached to it’s pointy hat jingling brightly. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said, moving out of the way for the creature to pass. It looked up at me with a crooked smile and teetered along. My eyes widened at the sight.

“Those would be the elves,” Jack said. 

“They are so… _cute_ ,” I replied, watching a few elves trying to stack on top of each other to reach a plate of cookies left on a table. Jack chuckled.

“They are definitely cute, and definitely not the brightest creatures working here.” As he said this, the stack of elves came crashing to the ground, the plate of cookies with them. They simply shook the fall off, and each grabbed a cookie. “We could spend all day messing around in this place, let’s go see North first.” I followed Jack around the top floor of the room, gaping at the yetis working at different stations and at all of the toys piled around. Jack greeted a few of the yetis as we passed by, some of them replying in what I assumed was a friendly manner (I had no idea what they were saying) and others looking on suspiciously. We arrived at what looked to be some sort of elevator, with only a floor and a railing. Jack swung the door open and gestured inside.

“After you,” he said. I stepped on the platform, grabbing onto the railing. The elevator started moving, and I continued marveling at the space before we reached our destination floor. We walked along the edge of the room until we arrived at a door, where Jack stopped and turned to me.

“Okay, here’s the deal,” he started. “I’m gonna go in first, explain the situation to North, and then bring you inside. He can be a lot to handle at first, and he probably won’t be as sensitive if you just walk in.” 

“Have I-” Jack had almost knocked on the door, but paused, looking at me. “Have I… met him before?” I asked. Jack nodded.

“Yeah, a few times. He’s a fan of yours,” Jack said, shrugging his shoulders. This made me smile. _Santa Clause? A fan of_ me _?_ I still felt a bundle of nerves erupt in my stomach, and somehow Jack seemed to notice. “Don’t worry, nothing to be intimidated by. Think of him as an old friend.” This calmed my nerves, and I nodded my head.

“Thanks,” I said, giving Jack a small smile. He turned to the door and knocked. After hearing a voice inside shouting “come in!”, he opened the door. 

“Jack! What a surprise! To what do I owe this visit?” A booming voice echoed out of the room, and I peeked inside as much as I could through the opening. Jack started to enter.

“Hey North, I’ve got something important to talk to you about.”

“Ahh, come back for more advice about Autumn, huh?” Jack froze in his spot, eyes going wide. I raised an eyebrow, looking at Jack.

“How did he know I was here?” I asked, causing Jack to turn towards me. For the briefest second his complexion looked more flushed than usual, but my focus was pulled away by the sound of someone walking towards the door.

“She is here?! Why didn’t you say something!” Suddenly the door was pulled fully open, and there stood a large, towering man with white hair and a long beard. Although I was immediately taken aback by the tattoos covering his exposed forearms, the most striking thing about him was his gleeful expression. I was suddenly wrapped in an engulfing embrace. “Autumn! How good to see you again!” North let go of me and turned to Jack. “How could you not tell me she was visiting? I would have had time to clean up shop!” 

“North, hold on, before-” Jack was interrupted by North pulling both of us into the room, which I could now see looked like some sort of craft room. He sat down on a rolling chair and beamed at us.

“Autumn, I couldn’t help but notice the lovely necklace you are wearing…” North said, winking at Jack. I furrowed my brows, and brought my hand up to feel around my neck. Sure enough, there was a necklace with a small pendant. I pulled it up so I could see it, and saw a beautiful, crystal covered snowflake. _Where did I get this?_

“North, please, something happened,” Jack started. North laughed.

“Oh, I had guessed so,” he said with a teasing tone.

“Autumn died. She was re-born as a spirit.” The room was silent after Jack’s sudden outburst. North’s jaw dropped, and he turned to face me. It was hard to meet his gaze, so I looked over at Jack, whose demeanor changed to something more somber. The moments that followed seemed to last forever. All that was heard was the gentle ticking of a clock somewhere in the room. “We are here because she is having trouble remembering some things. I thought bringing her here would help.”

North suddenly stood up and walked over to me. He looked down at me with sadness and comfort, and wrapped me in a warm hug. I was taken aback at how safe I felt, and returned the hug. I suddenly felt some of the fear and sadness I had pushed down bubble up, and I held on tighter as I fought to keep those emotions at bay. He finally released me, and held onto my hands.

“I am so very sorry for what you have gone through, and at such a young age!” North started. “This all must be very confusing, but know that we are here to help you.” I felt a lump in the back of my throat, and nodded my head.

“Thank you,” I said. North nodded in return, and walked back over to his chair. His demeanor had turned serious, and he looked at me and Jack with concentration. 

“Please, tell me what happened.”

.o.0.o.

North sat with his chin in his hand, contemplating everything I had just explained about what I remembered. It wasn’t much; on the day I died, I couldn’t remember anything before I was re-born. The week leading up to that was foggy as well. And for the life of me, I couldn’t remember being friends with Jack Frost.

“Very peculiar,” North commented. “Jack, what do you remember?” I turned to Jack, eager to hear his side of the story. I had only heard pieces when we met in the woods. 

“Well, Autumn and I were going to see each other that day. I was waiting in the woods by her town when I heard Jamie and Katie- North, you know Jamie. He helped us with Pitch.”

“Yes, of course! What a wonderful boy,” North said smiling.

“Katie is Jamie’s friend, she knows Autumn as well. They were passing by me and called out for help. They said that Autumn was in trouble. I went as fast as I could in the direction they pointed me to, and I found this tiny shack.” Jack seemed to grow quieter as he spoke. “A-and when I got there, I found Autumn on the ground. She was just… lying there.” He took a breath. “I tried to wake her up, I thought maybe she was just knocked out. But then I saw the blood. It was all over the ground under her head. I just… couldn’t handle it, so I walked away. Next thing I knew, she was tapping me on the shoulder asking for directions. She didn’t remember me.”

I didn’t realize how shocking all of this must have been for Jack. To see someone he was apparently close to, dead. _I can’t imagine what he must be going through right now_. I reached out and put my hand on his shoulder. He looked over, surprised.

“Jack, I’m so sorry you had to see that,” I said. Sure, I didn’t remember who he was, but it was clear that we had been close. I couldn’t have asked for a more helpful person - spirit - to have been there when I was re-born. I don’t know what I would have done if he wasn’t there. Jack’s eyes widened a bit, and he started chuckling. “What is it?” I asked.

“It’s nothing, really. This is just very… you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Comforting someone else even though you have been through a whole lot worse.” I raised my brows at this. There was this odd way that I had noticed Jack looking at me a few times since I was re-born. It was like he could really _see_ me. This was one of those times.

“Well, I don’t think it’s a contest. I died, you saw me dead. Two pretty awful things to experience,” I remarked sarcastically. Jack laughed.

“Glad to see you haven’t changed.” North cleared his throat and brought Jack and I’s attention away from each other. He was still in his chair, eyes glancing between us like he knew something we didn’t. I suddenly became aware of my hand still on Jack’s shoulder and quickly brought it to my side. 

“Okay, I think best thing to do is consult Man in Moon,” North said. 

“Man in Moon?” I asked.

“The moon. He spoke to you when you were re-born,” Jack answered. I nodded. 

“I don’t know if he will be much help, he was pretty cryptic when he talked to me- or, spoke to me through my thoughts,” I commented. 

“Well, does not hurt to try!” North declared, standing up from his chair.

Suddenly, I felt a harsh grip of fear engulf my chest. I grabbed at it, letting out a hiss of pain. Jack was at my side, holding onto my arm.

“Autumn? What’s wrong?” He asked. I shook my head.

“I don’t know, something… there’s something wrong,” I said. 

“With you?”

“No… it’s not… mine?” I was confused by my own response, but it was the truth. It felt like there was a cavern in my body, filling up with someone else’s fear. I tried focusing on it, but it was hard. My mind was racing.

“What does that mean?” Jack asked. His voice started to sound desperate. He looked at North, who was looking on in confusion and worry. “Can we do something?”

“Uhh, I can, uh, get warm fuzzy blanket,” North stuttered, moving around the room and pushing things aside on various shelves. 

An image entered my mind. It was a bit hazy around the edge, but some of it was clear. A young boy in a bed was tossing and turning. It looked like he was sleeping. He looked restless, uncomfortable. I had to help him.

“I have to go,” I said, moving quickly towards a window at the end of the room. 

“What?” Jack exclaimed, following me. “You can’t leave, we have to talk to Manny.”

“I’ll be back, I promise. I have to do something.” I pushed the window open as wide as I could and stepped onto the ledge. I felt Jack grab my hand, and I turned to him. His eyes were wide, the snow-hazed light from outside highlighting the blue of his irises. 

“Autumn,” he started. I waited with bated breath. The fear inside my chest was screaming, pulling at me, but I couldn’t tare away my gaze. Jack let out a resigned breath. “Be careful.” I smiled, squeezing his hand. 

“Don’t worry, I got this.” I let go of his hand and turned towards the open air. I let my wings emerge from my back and leapt into the air, following the invisible beacon I could feel in my bones that led to the child.

.o.

Jack stared out of the open window into the white sky that Autumn just disappeared into. 

“When did she get wings?!” North exclaimed behind him. Jack turned around, staring at his fellow guardian with a lost expression. North quickly contained himself and lumbered over, holding a fuzzy blanket he had found among his things. He held it out towards Jack, who shook his head. “What is wrong, Jack?”

“I don’t… I don’t want to lose her again,” Jack said. “I just got her back.” North nodded.

“You still love her?” Jack turned around at this, and continued staring out of the window.

“She doesn’t remember me.”

“But you still love her?”

“It doesn’t matter, because she doesn’t remember me.”

“Yes she does!” Jack turned around at this, glaring at North. North sighed, looking at Jack with care and concern. “She may not remember you here,” he tapped his head. “But she remembers you _here_ ,” he placed a hand on his heart. Jack furrowed his brows. “Jack, I have lived long enough to recognize love when I see it. It may take some time, but nothing so powerful can be forgotten forever.” 

Jack signed. He wanted to believe North more than anything.

“What if, even considering everything you said, she never remembers me?” Jack spoke quietly. North thought about this.

“Well, she is still the same person. Maybe this is just fresh start,” he offered. 

Jack hung his head, feeling himself calming down. After a moment, he reached out slowly for the fluffy blanket in North’s hands. North smiled as he let Jack take it from him and wrap it around his shoulders. 

“Come,” North said, putting an arm around Jack, “let’s get some hot coco.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you feel so inclined, leave a review!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New readers! Glad you are liking the story!  
> This chapter is pretty short, but more are coming very soon.

There was nothing I had ever experienced while alive that came close to the feeling of flying. The land below me was so clear. I could follow the dips and rises of canyons, the twists and turns of rivers turning into streams turning into lakes. I could see the curve of the earth far in front of me. My wings held me in the air effortlessly, and everything felt possible. I didn’t quite know where I was headed, but there was an invisible compass in my gut pushing me forward. I had been flying so long - or such a great distance - that I realized I was flying through night sky. The stars above me winked playfully, and the moon was glowing encouragingly. I could feel his presence, his quiet support and approval. The feeling in my stomach grew more intense. I knew I was close to wherever my destination was.

I spotted an expanse of buildings in the distance. From the glow of lights illuminating itself, it looked like a small city. Cars the size of ants moved around the bases of what looked like a few skyscrapers, and residential areas spiraled around them. As I got closer, I was drawn away from the loud center towards an outlying area, dotted with little houses. I was then flying over them, looking down on roofs of different shapes, backyards filled with green grass and scattered with swimming pools. My gut told me to fly lower, and so I began my descent. I circled around slowly, observing the neighborhood. A house and the end of a cul de sac drew my attention and I dived towards it. I halted my fall and re-gained my bearings as I touched down on the ground in front of the house. The door was painted a dark green, and the outside was a simple cream color. A window towards the top right of the front facade seemed to draw a spotlight in my mind.

I flew up to the window and peered inside. Cheery pictures and posters covered the walls, as well as what looked like a few sports medals. Some toys were scattered on the carpet, and along the far wall the young boy from my vision was curled up tightly in his bed. My gut was almost screaming at me to get inside. I tested the window and found that it was unlocked, and slid it open easily. If it weren’t for the almost agonizing pull in my body I would have spent more energy thinking about just how weird this situation was. _What am I doing here? Why am I in a random child’s bedroom? Why am I in so much pain?_ I moved towards the bed where my gut was pushing me towards, and then I saw it. The boy’s face was screwed up in discomfort, and he tossed and turned a few times just like he had in my head. I could feel his discomfort. _This is his pain._

Suddenly, he shot up, breathing quickly and erratically. I froze in my spot as I was faced with the realization that I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t even know if the boy could see me. _Maybe I should get out of here._ I turned to leave when I heard the boy begin to cry softly. A cavern of emptiness and ache cut through my chest, and I could feel my eyes start to water. Without another thought I faced the boy and moved closer. I crouched next to his bed and slowly placed a hand on his shoulder. He jumped, turning his head to face me, and his wide, frightened eyes met mine. As we stared at each other, neither of us daring to make a sound, I began to feel grief. Or, what was almost grief. It was new and sore, but it wasn’t quite formed yet. There was sadness and fear. There was longing. 

“Who are you?” The boy asked quietly. He can see me. It was shocking to feel visible again. I would have enjoyed the moment more if the situation was different.

“I’m Autumn,” I replied. The boy didn’t seem satisfied by that.

“What are you?” I could see him glance behind me at my wings, which were still exposed. 

“I’m a spirit.” I didn’t know any other way to answer the question.

“Like a ghost?”

“Not really.”

“Oh.” The boy looked down at his lap. I could feel a chasm of unspoken hurt in him.

“Hey, you can talk to me.” A moment of silence passed.

“Is he gonna be okay?” The boy finally spoke. I was overpowered by emotions. I felt like I was experiencing his memories, although I wasn’t seeing any visions this time. There was just a rush of feelings, and I was surprised to be able to follow the story it weaved. Someone was ill. Someone of importance, a person of guidance. It was a parent. His father. I felt a few tears trail down my cheek as I felt this boy’s pain of being on the brink of loosing his father. There were so many things I wanted to say, but nothing felt right. There was an intense energy building up in my chest, like it was pounding away at the sadness and fear. It was growing stronger by the second, and I could see the boy’s eyes widen. He was feeling it too.

“Even if he is not, you will be,” I said. I felt the energy wrap itself around the pain over and over again, breaking it down until there was almost none left. Suddenly, it vanished, and I felt light. There was no cavern of ache in my chest, no stabs of fear or sadness. I breathed deeply. The boy breathed with me. He was looking at me in awe, and I knew that the pain in him was gone as well.

“Did you do that?” He asked.

“I think so,” I replied.

“Is it gone forever?” I thought about the question.

“Pain like that can never be gone forever, but I will always be here to help you through it. I promise.” The boy smiled. It felt like he hadn’t smiled like that in a while. I stood up and walked towards his window.

“Wait,” the boy called. I turned to face him. “Thank you.” My heart swelled at the sight of him. He was sat straight up with a delightful grin. The room wasn’t heavy like when I had arrived. Everything seemed lighter. 

“Anytime.” With that I crept out of the window and launched into the air and headed towards the North Pole. 

.o.0.o.

The shadows in the corner of the boy’s bedroom shifted. A figure crept slowly from corner to corner, watching the boy sleep peacefully. Only a little while ago he was tossing and turning, rampant with sadness and fear. Now, he was rested, and the room felt light and calm. The figure recoiled at the sight, and stepped out into the moonlight streaming through the window. Pitch Black looked down at the boy in anger. He didn’t understand what had taken all the fear out of him. He knew that his powers were the weakest they had ever been, but usually he was able to sustain fear throughout the night. He reached out towards the child, letting a weak tendril of fear slip forward. Pitch looked on in shock as it suddenly extinguished. He tried again and again, but each time the fear was gone before it had even reached the bed. Pitch whipped his head towards the window. The moon was peaking through, his light on the floor shining tauntingly. Pitch growled and fled out of the window and into the street. He snarled at the moon, pointing his finger accusingly.

“You’ve just got to ruin everything. Haven’t you taken enough from me?” The moon looked on. “What is it this time? Trying to get rid of all the fear in the world once and for all? You know that will never work. I will always exist.” The moon remained silent. Pitch balled his hands into a fist and opened his mouth to continue when he saw a small shadow pass over the moon. He focused as hard as he could, only seeing two large wings carrying what looked to be a person through the sky. He could sense the moon shifting his energy. “So that’s what you’re trying out now, huh? A new spirit? That’s your oldest trick in the book, Manny. Why don’t you try something new?” Pitch began to smile. “I know I will.”

.o.0.o.

I landed ungracefully on the ground in front of North’s workshops doors, tired from the long flight. It was going to take some time to get used to flying this much. _It’s gonna take some time to get used to flying at all._ I was about to knock on the doors when they flew open. Jack and North were on the other side, and a few yetis had turned their heads to see what the commotion was about. 

“See, she’s fine,” North said, giving Jack a hard pat on the back. He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeah, I knew that, I totally knew that…” He said, quickly brushing off North’s comments and walking towards me. He seemed to start to raise his arms to initiate a hug but quickly brought them down. Instead, he stuck his hands in his hoodie pocket. I guess it was normal for us to hug before. “So, where did you fly off to?” 

“A random child’s house,” I replied deadpan. Jack raised his brows. “You’re gonna wanna hear the story. Is there someplace inside I could sit down? Flying really took a lot out me.” 

“Yes, the lounge is this way,” North said, walking to the right. Jack held out his right arm towards me.

“You need this?” He asked. I stared at him in a bit of shock. Sometimes if I was especially tired I would ask someone for support while walking. Everyone I asked usually tried to take hold of my arm or just offer their hand, neither of which helped my balance much. People closest to me had learned that holding out their right arm, crooked, for me to hold on to was the best way to help. Of course, they only knew that if they knew about my history. I wrapped my left arm in the crook of his elbow and we began walking. I was a little unbalanced, but Jack’s arm was sturdy.

“We were really close,” I said. It wasn’t a question because I knew the answer.

“Yeah, we were,” he replied. 


End file.
